THE announcement this week a hotel in Malham is going to completely revamp its menu and go entirely plant-based has received mixed reactions from readers.

The owners are following their own ethos in this regard and have to be applauded. Every morsel people will eat within the hotel will be absolutely meat and dairy free. Not a beef steak will grace any platter nor a full fat milk custard top a dairy-loaded crumble here.

A brave move? It depends where you stand on food. I eat meat, but also eat plants. I can happily eat a meal without dairy or meat products, simply because I enjoy them and for a change. To me, pulling a dish of mixed roast vegetables out of the oven drizzled with a little olive oil and elevated with a pinch of herbs can make for as much a mouthwatering meal as a lamb Henry or a cheese-topped lasagne, for example. If a meat-eater has to have meat each time they eat out, then okay. Just don’t knock other people’s choices.

Some people’s reaction to the Beck Hall Hotel’s news was one of horror towards a meat and dairy-free menu and that they would not entertain visiting.

That is a great shame. Looking at the menu the choices sound wonderful and I like to think I know enough about food preparation to know the dishes are likely to be as satisfying to the taste buds as they are pleasing to the eye. I know the more open-minded will go there to dine out for the experience. For those who say they will not contemplate a visit, perhaps some creative plant-based dishes may be a little beyond their culinary imagination.