THE restaurant critic turned owner, William Sitwell, has said his restaurant, The White Hart in Wiveliscombe, “might not survive Veganuary”.

Mr Sitwell reopened the doors to The White Hart in December 2025 after it closed in July under different owners.

The previous BBC MasterChef judge explained in his weekly Telegraph column that “seasonal abstinence of meat and booze can be fatal for businesses like mine”.

He goes on to describe Dry January (avoiding drinking during January) and Veganuary (following a vegan diet during January) as “twin devils”.

“If you dabble in the fetish that is veganism in the next few weeks, you should also understand that the problem we have in hospitality is not one of morals but margin.

“People get outraged at the cost of a ‘cauliflower steak’ but, really, it should cost more than a real steak because of the time it takes to faff with the produce to create something worthy of a centrepiece.

“By all means do what’s right for mind and body and quit the booze in January. But, to help me survive the coming weeks, please, for God’s sake, when you come to The White Hart, bring some meat eaters and thirsty alcoholics with you.”

Mr Sitwell was previously editor at Waitrose Food magazine but resigned in 2018 after making a joke about “killing vegans”.

He apologised at the time for any offence caused.

A screenshot of the headline of Mr Sitwell’s Telegraph column was shared to Facebook by an account called ‘The Vegan Punk’.

The post was flooded by nearly 500 comments, mostly condemning Mr Sitwell’s stance on veganism.

One user wrote: “How about a vegan options for a month? And non-alcoholic cocktail specials. It’s not rocket science.”

Another said: “Adapt and start offering vegan alternatives.”