I began the new year with the classic resolution of eating more healthily - less meat and more green stuff.

With that goal in mind, meandering down Canterbury high street with a ready appetite can be a slippery slope towards a sloppy burger.

So, kicking off ‘Veganuary’ 2024, I make a beeline to the Veg Box Cafe on Burgate for what its hundreds of five-star reviews promised would be a hearty and nutritious meal.

The eatery sources all of its ingredients from organic Kentish farmers and prepares a changeable daily menu of salads, stews, bakes and other plant-based dishes.

What I notice first is the smart kerb appeal - pillars, box hedges in painted planters and sage green awnings retracted beneath stone arches.

Stepping through the front door I am hit with the aroma of cooked carrots and celery. It’s as if someone’s topped off a humidifier with vegetable broth.

What I notice next is that the place is absolutely packed with people. There’s barely a spare seat in sight and the queue to order from the front counter is almost out of the door.

The decor inside is a bit more casual. Filament bulbs hang from raw knotted rope, house plants abound and one wall is painted with an illustrative recipe for sriracha squash.

I read options for lunch from a large chalk-scribed menu - seasonal salad, vegetarian Shepherd’s pie, jacket potatoes with fresh hummus.

The line to order moves quickly and before I know it I’m being asked what I’d like to eat.

“I’m not sure - I’m starting out the new year trying to eat more vegetables and stuff. It’s my first time here, what can you recommend?”

“You’ve come to the right place to eat healthy,” replied the waitress with a smile.

“Why don’t you try the cauliflower and daal hot pot with salad, olives, hummus, kimchee and potato wedges on the side? That way you can try a bit of everything.”

I didn’t know what kimchee was but she said it was in-house fermented, so I figured that had to be a good thing, right?

Just as I pay for my meal, a two-top frees up and I take a seat and a closer look around.

There is a good mix of people young and old, families and couples. Indie-alternative music is barely audible above the cacophony of conversation and a baby’s crying.

A constant flow of customers through the door is keeping the front-of-house staff on their toes taking orders, carrying plates and clearing tables.

While I wait for my food I get chatting to a couple of ladies sitting next to me and ask them how they like the restaurant.

“I come here to eat here three to four times a week,” one says.

“I really like the ethos of the place - good, local food, simply prepared.”

My meal arrives.

The salad is bursting with colour and the hot pot steaming with a savoury smell of cooked tomatoes.

I dive right in with a forkful of chickpeas, lentils and baked parsnips and my eyes close.

This may seem mundane to read in a food review, but I think the best way to describe that first bite is simply to say that it tastes really, really good.

What I mean is that it’s not bursting with spice, overtly sweet or salty. It’s balanced - truthful to its ingredients and wholesome.

As I wait for the hot pot to be a little less piping, I sample around the salad plate getting a new combination of tastes and textures with each bite.

Crunchy nuts, flavourful cashew pesto and silky smooth hummus. A sudden zing of ginger - that’s got to be the kimchee.

The stew is rich, subtly sweet and acidic - cauliflower leaves and lentils stewed in a tomato sauce.

As I enjoy variety in each mouthful, I find myself reflecting on how dull by comparison a fast food burger and fries would have been.

With my final potato wedge I mop up the last of the tomato sauce and feel satisfied, not full.

I have that warm feeling in my stomach, re-fuelled, like I could go for a miles-long walk through a muddy forrest.

Framed on the back wall of the restaurant are the words: “Choosing to live in harmony with the environment helps the Earth and the body too. We believe that good choices lead to a happy life.”

With so many choices for less healthy but very tempting meals on the high street, a plant-based restaurant may not be everyone’s go-to idea to satisfy those cravings.

But after trying out the Veg Box, I think many people would be pleasantly surprised just how good a wholesome meal of vegetables can be.

Make it your New Year’s resolution to give it a try.

Out of five:

Food: Wholesome flavour with high-quality, local ingredients – food you can feel really good about eating. ☆☆☆☆☆

Drink: I had a bottled organic apple juice which was tart and refreshing. The waitress told me in the afternoons they also do wine and cider by the glass and dabble in cocktails. Complimentary tap water was also available. ☆☆☆☆

Decor: Clean, casual and cheerful with a relaxed crunchy vibe – it was a little cramped, though. ☆☆☆

Staff: Friendly, efficient and very knowledgeable. ☆☆☆☆☆

Price: £18 for a hearty meal and a drink. Maybe a tad steep compared to other lunch options in Canterbury, but show me another place that’s fully local and organic for a better price. I don’t mind paying a premium to support local farmers for top-notch ingredients. ☆☆☆☆