Café Royal Urged to Put Vegan ‘Land’ Oysters on the Menu
Café Royal Urged to Put Vegan ‘Land’ Oysters on the Menu
Edinburgh, Scotland – As Edinburgh’s iconic Café Royal celebrates its 200th anniversary, PETA has fired off a letter (available here) to owner Michael Eaton, urging the venue to make history again by developing Scotland’s first premium vegan oyster. The animal protection group suggests using Scottish-grown oyster mushrooms, aubergine, or other vegetables to create a signature delicacy fit for the next century and beyond.
“Café Royal has a chance to create something entirely new – a Scottish ‘land oyster’ that could become an iconic dish served for the next 200 years,” says PETA Vice President of Vegan Projects. “A vegan oyster would welcome everyone to the table, from vegans and vegetarians to diners who avoid shellfish or simply want to try something new. We hope Café Royal will seize the chance to make culinary history.”
Celebrated chefs have already shown that classic “seafood” and luxury dishes can be recreated without ingredients stolen from animals. French chef Alexis Gauthier’s vegan “faux gras” became a fixture at his London restaurant, while Flemish chef Nicolas Decloedt developed a plant-based version of moules frites complete with edible shells.
In addition to sparing animals, choosing vegan seafood helps protect the oceans. Oysters are natural filter feeders that help maintain healthy marine ecosystems by removing pollutants from the water, and leaving them in their ocean homes allows them to continue performing this important ecological role. Eating oysters can also pose risks to humans, including Vibrio bacterial infections that may cause diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, and even potentially fatal blood infections. PETA offers a free vegan starter kit for anyone looking to make the switch.
PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” – points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a bull is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow PETA on Facebook, X, TikTok, or Instagram.
Contact:
Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7837 6327; [email protected]
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