Miss Mostyn considers vegetarian and vegan food in Llandudno, with hope, caution and menu-reading advice.

Llandudno is better for vegetarian food than it once was, when some kitchens treated vegetables as decoration or punishment. Progress has been made. One must acknowledge civilisation when it appears.

Vegetarian visitors will usually manage well in cafes, Italian restaurants, pubs and Asian places. The range of genuine vegetarian options (not merely the removal of meat from a meat-centred dish) has expanded noticeably in independent cafes and the more modern restaurants.

Vegan visitors should still check menus before assuming the town has fully caught up with them. Some places offer thoughtful plant-based food. Others provide a token option with the enthusiasm of a reluctant nephew.

The independent cafe sector is generally the most reliable for plant-based eating. A cafe that takes its coffee and bread seriously tends also to think more carefully about its non-dairy options and its vegetable-based menu.

Breakfast and lunch are usually easier than a special evening meal. For dinner, especially outside peak season, research first. Hunger makes radicals of us all.

Welsh produce (lamb, beef, cheese) features heavily in the local food scene, which means some menus are built around meat in ways that require visiting vegetarians to identify the supporting cast rather than the main event. This is not hostility. It is habit.

Do not be reassured by the presence of the word vegan alone. Ask whether the dish has been designed or merely had its cheese confiscated.

Asian restaurants in the town generally offer good vegetarian and vegan ranges as a structural feature of the cuisine rather than a concession to contemporary preferences. These can be the most reliable option for a complete and considered plant-based meal.

Llandudno is improving, but unevenly. With a little care, plant-based visitors can eat well. Without care, one may end up conducting a long, private investigation into baked potatoes.

As with all dietary requirements, a brief advance enquiry by phone or email can save considerable frustration on the evening itself. The town has not yet developed the telepathic catering services that some visitors seem to expect.