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Speaking to Hayley Wilkes the woman behind WEECook – is like standing in a spring breeze.  A refreshing and wholly positive experience.

Even when talking about potentially challenging topics, such as the closure of the WEECook restaurant in Carnoustie, her optimistic voice does not falter.

“We shut or café and restaurant at Barry Downs during October last year,” she said.

“We spent the last year focusing on the pies and then trying different collaborations and pop-ups.”

Perhaps the best thing to come from this period of explorations is Phat Baps, a “side hustle” – as Hayley calls it – that sees the WEECook team selling outrageous baps from their premises in Arbroath’s Kirkton Industrial Estate on Thursdays and Fridays from 8.30am until 2pm.  As the name suggests, these aren’t your regular baps.  They are “very heavily influenced by traditional Scottish baps but with a kind of global street food-y vibe according to Hayley.

The result?  Mouth-watering creations such as a banh mi BLT and the sloppy smokehouse.

The former start at £3.50.  This gets customers a homemade morning roll filled with butcher’s bacon or a fried egg or some black pudding.  Customers can then choose to add any number of other items at an extra cost.  “It’s BYOB,” Hayley says.  “Build your own bap.”

By contrast, the phat baps – which start at £6.25 for vegetarian options and £6.50 for baps containing meat – are far more indulgent.  “The classic phat bap we’ve got on (the phat pig) includes multiple rashers of butcher’s bacon, a secret sauce and a lovely fried egg in a brioche roll.”

Hayley also describes two other menu items.  The first is the sloppy smokehouse which, she says, has been incredibly popular.  This bap features Arbroath Smokies, black pudding, an egg, a cheesy béchamel sauce, crispy onions and basil-flavoured mayonnaise.

For those who don’t want meat, Hayley and her team have dreamt up a Scottish take on a vada pav, an Indian street food that first gained popularity in Mumbai.

Whereas the original version is based around a deep-fried potato dumpling, WEECook’s Mumbai morning roll sees twice-roasted smashed Scottish tatties placed inside a roll alongside the team’s signature green spicy chutney, homemade spiced onions and a fried egg.

To make things even better, Hayley sources many of her ingredients from many leading local suppliers including The Fish Hoose in Arbroath, Scott Brothers Butchers and Sacred Grounds.

Importantly, every bap is made to order.  “We won’t compromise on quality,” Hayley says.

“It’s not junk food, it’s fresh food. and our team are trained as professionals who are passionate about what they do.”

A visit to WEECook’s premises in Kirkton Industrial Estate coincides with Phat Baps still in its “soft launch” phase.

Despite this, Hayley and her team anything but unsure about their food.  The menu contains a great spread of baps.

Trying the Mumbai morning roll (£6.25) and sloppy smokehouse (£6.25) passed on by Hayley, it is easy to see why she she decided to spell fat with a “ph” – “phat” being a slang term for excellent, if you were wondering.

The sandwiches are incredibly well filled.  So much so that you may be forced to eat them with a knife and fork.

Starting with the sloppy smokehouse, like all the best things in life, is slightly intimidating.

As expected, the intense Arbroath Smokie is the first thing you taste.  This flavour is soon softened by the arrival of the cheesy béchamel before the peppery black pudding and herbaceous basil mayonnaise perks it up again.

It is a rollercoaster of the most exhilarating kind.

Another mouthful reveals the presence of crispy onions that add some much-needed texture and an oozing egg yolk that, by supercharging the richness of this decadent bap, proves you can never have too much of a good thing.

Although less Bacchanalian in appearance, the Mumbai morning roll packs an even greater punch.

This is largely thanks to WEECook’s homemade green chutney and spiced onions which deliver a mixture of fruity, piquant notes make even the most desensitised soul feel again.

Combined with the twice-roasted potatoes – at once both fluffy and crisp – and another perfectly cooked egg, this bap highlights that, with requisite thought, vegetarian food need not be lesser than its more protein-laden counterparts.

This is fun, indulgent food that is being made with skill, care and joy.  To make matters better, they are also priced very fairly.

Charging less than £7 for such generous baps seems a steal when you consider that just about every component has been crafted by hand.

That said, Hayley – who is ever conscious of customers’ various wants and needs – is also offering a meal deal that sees customers receiving any bap, a drink (juice, water, americano or tea) and a sweet snack for just £10.

“We’re trying to give customers the best deal we can,” she says.  “We’re proud of what we do, we’re proud of our produce, and we’re proud of being part of the Angus and Arbroath food scene.”

Given the food, the entire team have every reason to be proud of themselves and these wonderful phat baps.

This article appeared in The Courier Food & Drink supplement on 15 November 2025