'Veganuary opens people's eyes to plant-based lifestyle'

The last week of January can represent many things - whether it's finally pay day, or the conclusion of a fitness challenge, people often see the first month of the year as a way to start afresh.

One long-running staple of the new year is Veganuary, a 31-day commitment to adopt a vegan lifestyle, most commonly through a change in diet.

According to a YouGov poll, one in 10 UK adults were predicted to take part this year.

Jane Land, co-founder of the Veganuary campaign, said more than a decade on from its launch, the appetite for vegan food was stronger than ever.

"You wouldn't be able to go into a restaurant chain and get something vegan easily, but that's changed now," she explained.

"We wanted to get vegan and vegetarian options to a point where it is a mainstream lifestyle choice that people have an understanding and awareness of, and cater for."

More than a third of those taking part in Veganuary every year ended up adopting veganism entirely, Land said, with others adding more plant-based alternatives to their diet.

We spoke to businesses and residents in North Yorkshire about whether plant-based was now part of popular culture - and if they had joined in with Veganuary this year.

At the foot of Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales, Beck Hall is "100% plant-based", according to co-owner Andrew Macbeth, who believes it might be the first hotel in the country to hold the title.

From the food and drink to toiletries and cleaning products, everything is vegan.

He and his wife Louise made the decision to give up animal products nearly 10 years ago, and chose to transform their hotel to align with their lifestyle in 2023.

"We were bracing ourselves for a big hit on the business, [and that] we might have to scale things back a bit, it's not going to be as popular as it used to be," Macbeth said.

"Luckily it's gone from strength to strength, and we've had the busiest couple of years ever, it's been really successful."

Being purely plant-based has been a draw to some guests, he explained, but they have also had some returning customers who were unaware that meat was no longer on the menu.

"The feedback has overall been really positive - it's really opened their eyes to what's possible with plant-based food," he explained.

"We get an increasing amount of people who aren't vegan, and want to try something different."

He said Veganuary could be "a great seed for change" and although the business did not notice a particular surge of bookings in January, some customers reported their first foray into veganism was taking part in the challenge.

Macbeth described going vegan as "one of the best decisions" he had made, and one that opened up "a whole new world of different flavours and cooking techniques".

"It can be interesting and something a bit out of the ordinary, and people appreciate that," he said.

Cafe owner Ruth Richards has been vegan for more than a decade, having first taken up vegetarianism around the age of 14.

She runs Tea by the Lock in York, a vintage, plant-based tearoom - and while she "doesn't hide it", she doesn't necessarily define her business as such.

"I think I'm slightly different because I'd say about 85% of my customers are not vegan," she said.

Located along the river in Naburn, a route popular with walkers, Richards feels as though it is often a happy accident that people try an entirely plant-based menu.

"It's such a win for me - I view this as activism, but on the very first level, low-level activism.

"I know I'm not going to convert most of my customers to go vegan, but I do know some of them have told me they drink oat milk because they've had it here."

In York city centre, Australian tourists Talia and Courtney admitted they had not heard of the movement, but they often tried to eat vegetarian meals "a few times a week".

Talia said she thought she could complete the challenge but might struggle "to do it for longer - but I could do it for month".

"I think maybe we are under the misconception that meat is a lot easier to cook than just veggies," Courtney added.

"But I think having to substitute in enough protein, I'd have to plan quite a bit before I committed to an entire month."

In the Museum Gardens, Maggie and Harley are split down the middle; daughter Harley knew about Veganuary but mum Maggie said she had "never heard of it but would have tried it".

"It gives you a chance to see how you feel about it, you've got the whole month to decide - so I think that would be a good way of doing it," she said.

"I've been on-and-off vegetarian but I've never gone full works and gone vegan," Harley said.

"I think doing something when you've got a certain time frame makes it a bit easier because in your mind, you might set that end goal.

"Once the month's over you might want to continue, or continue with a few of the good habits perhaps."

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