A CAFE owner has said business has gone from strength to strength after creating a line of vegan recipes.

Tracy Parnaby – who owns Caffè No 3 in Spennymoor – first went vegan two years ago after eating meat for more than 50 years.

She decided to make the change as she did not agree with animals being used for meat and was unhappy with the treatment of animals by the dairy industry.

She said: “I just all of a sudden had an overwhelming feeling that what was on my plate had to die to be there and I knew I just couldn’t eat it.

“Initially I put vegan recipes on the menu because places weren’t serving vegan food and there was nowhere I could eat myself. Since we started the menu, we’re really busy and I believe the transition has encouraged business.

“We’ve had a great response from the community, a lot of the people buying our meals aren’t even vegan they just really enjoy the food. Many people come because our recipes are low in fat and calories, they help people who are trying to be healthy.

“I want to show people you don’t have to be vegan to enjoy vegan food. There are certain stereotypes attached to vegans and veganism but it’s not true its just food.”

Veganism is a type of diet that excludes meat, eggs, dairy products, and other animal-derived ingredients.

The cafe is known across the region for its vegan meals but still serves dishes with meat for those with omnivore diets.

The Newton Aycliffe business owner hopes to take meat entirely off the menu by the end of this year and believes the cafe will become completely vegan in the near future. Her recipes include takes on gourmet burgers which use jackfruit to replicate meat and vegan versions of cottage pie and linguine.

She said the cafe has had an overwhelming response from the public, it is even planning to increase its opening hours this April to meet the demand.

The cafe will celebrate its fifth birthday this month after previously struggling as a local business to compete with high street chain restaurants.

The Caffè No 3 team said campaigns such as Veganuary – which encourages people to stick to a vegan diet for the month of January – has helped in the growth of the business and they hope to see others trying the lifestyle.