A Shropshire hotel has launched its first full vegan menu following the success of its first all-vegan wedding.
Staff at the Best Western Valley Hotel in Ironbridge say feedback from the wedding was so positive a decision was taken to expand the vegan options available for diners.
The wedding was held in July with the hotel working closely with the bride and groom in coming up with a menu they wanted to showcase vegan food and dispel some of the myths surrounding it.
Lisa Snape, Sales and Marketing Manager at the Best Western Valley Hotel, said: “It was our first vegan wedding, I think a full vegan event is generally relatively rare as people feel obliged to cater for all but I admire the couple as they wanted guests to try the food and realise it can still be very tasty.
“Everyone in general has a greater awareness of what they eat nowadays and our chefs really relished the challenge of coming up with a menu which impressed the guests.
“The menu included: Thai vegetable curry; mixed spiced bean tacos; harissa vegetable wraps; Moroccan couscous salad; tomato, olive, vegan cheese salad; pickled vegetable slaw; mixed dressed leaves; guacamole; salsa; houmous; new potatoes, garlic and rosemary. Dessert: Mixed berry soup, macerated berries or hazelnut white chocolate panna cotta.
“Not everyone has tried vegan food and some of the wedding guests didn’t know it was going to be a solely vegan menu until they arrived but everyone seemed to enjoy the variety of food on offer and I think it’s fair to say they were pleasantly surprised.
“We have special requests all the time but because all the food here is made from scratch and not pre-made, we are lucky because we know every ingredient that goes into a dish, which makes it easier.
“The day went really well so we thought to provide an exclusively vegan menu for hotel guests was the next logical step – there is clearly an increasing demand for it and we are always open to ideas and suggestions about how we can fully cater for the wishes of our guests.”
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