Take a look inside new vegan restaurant and bar opening in Hastings old Town this week

New vegan restaurant and lounge bar The Hempist opens its doors on Hastings seafront on Saturday March 7 and here is what it looks like inside.

The restaurant opens its doors at 11am on Saturday March 7, at 3 marine Parade, close to the Albion pub, and will be open all day until 11pm.

Owner Dan Wiltshire has gone for a natural wood look with communal benches to complement the hemp-based menu which includes plant-based burgers, hot dogs and kebabs.

Dan is an established Reggae DJ and quite a few items on the menu are inspired by Jamaican cuisine, including authentic patties, including a jerk bean pattie.

The Hempist will also be serving up Jamaican favourite Red Stripe lager and a craft beer from the Brixton brewery as well as vegan and organic wines, hemp leaf tea, Jamaican cocktails, a hemp and hop mead and healthy soft drinks.

A feature of the restaurant is that items on the menu include hemp seed, which is not only regarded as a high protein superfood, but is also a sustainable crop which does not harm the environment.

Hemp seeds are the seeds of the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa, the same species as cannabis (marijuana) but a different variety, not containing.

THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana.

Hemp seeds are exceptionally nutritious and rich in healthy fats, protein and various minerals, including a great source of vitamin E and minerals such as phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc.

The Hempist will be running a ‘meal deal’ where people can buy a pint of Red Stripe and get a Hemp Classic Patty for £6.