Waitrose has bolstered its vegan range with the exclusive launch of ready-made pancakes by Squeaky Bean.

Available in store and online, Waitrose said the vegan pancakes were a first in UK retail.

The supermarket added that searches for vegan pancakes on Waitrose.com were up 1,385% compared with January a year ago. Searches for the Squeaky Bean brand were also up more than 90%.

Squeaky Bean was launched in January 2019 by chilled food producer Winterbotham Darby as a “dirty vegan brand” to challenge the “squeaky clean perceptions of veganism”. The brand initially listed three lines – Satay Kiev, Nuggets and Fishless Fingers – in Asda.

Squeaky Bean Vegan Fluffy American Pancakes and Vegan Original Sweet Pancakes (both £2.50) are made with soya.

“Shrove Tuesday is always a favourite with our customers and this year we wanted to make sure everyone had a ready-made delicious pancake to eat,” said Waitrose vegan buyer Charlotte McCarthy.

“Whether you have them swimming in maple syrup and Facon or go classic with lemon juice and sugar – our vegan customers won’t be missing out on their sweet treat this February.”

Squeaky Bean pancakes are available exclusively at Waitrose.