Vegetarians... What do you do?

[Coco]

We have some guests arriving on Friday for seven nights.  They have asked for a meal on arrival and then told me the wife is a veggie.  They didn't say whether she eats fish and/or cheese and eggs - I have emailed to ask but have not had a response yet.

I'm afraid I'm a bit of a veggie-phobe (dinner without meat or fish?? ) but am sure I'll be able to come up with something for Friday.

My main concern is that, certainly around this area,I know of no restaurants who serve a vegetarian option whatsoever.  So after TRYING to eat out on Saturday they may well start asking for a few more meals in-house.

A veggie friend I have is more than happy when dining out just to have the same as everyone else, less the meat and with a larger portion of veg.  The trouble with CHARGING for meals is that seems a bit of a cheek to me.  However, having to prepare a totally different meal for two different people is going to cost more in both time and money; I find that contrary to popular belief, there is not a huge profit margin in table d'hote, especially when there are only two guests, let alone when they both require different meals.

My husband says that we should bite the bullet on Friday but if they want lots of meals during the week we should just charge more.  Do you think that is out of order or acceptable?

In the past I've coped with non red-meat eaters, seafood allergies, alcohol allergies, wheat allergies, CHOCOLATE allergies.  At least then I can plan the meal around those and everyone has the same.  So I don't think I'm being inflexible - just don't know WHAT to cook.

[Frogslegs]

Ummnhh...that is a difficult one! we offer meals and have had our share of vegans. I once made three meals in three days for a couple, spent ages in the shops and in the kitchen avoiding fish, meat and eggs only to find out on the last night that they do sometimes eat the odd tuna sandwich and fish and chips

How about vegetarian lasagne or curry?

http://www.le-tilleul.com

[1938]

stuffed peppers

 

for 2 people 1 large pepper each sliced in half

steam the peppers for a few minutes till just soft

filling...i use this as can be addapted for meat and vegetarians for same meal

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

handfull of chopped mushrooms

chopped pine nuts

fry onions and garlic and mushrooms, add nuts, salt pepper and pinch of mixed herbs

make breadcrumbs in food processer with stale bread, and then mush it all together,add either an egg if possible and or tomato puree and a teaspoon of whole grain mustard. this is the filling for the peppers.

you can either add cheese..a blue cheese is nice

or for the meat.. de-skin and fry a couple of sausages..toulouse ones are good and add to the breadcrumb mush

put peppers in a dish, seperate one for meat..stuff with above mix add a jar of tomatoe sauce...not hp the casserole type stuff around the peppers,plus a slurp of red wine cover with tin foil and bake in oven gas mark 6 for about 40 mins

easy to prepair and not masses of washing up as basically the same meal..serve with mixed salad and baguette to mop up the juices!!

 

bon apetite

[Tourangelle]

I love this recipe, and I'm a meat-eater. There are loads of other vegetarian dishes on this site.

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/r_0000001000.asp

[Quillan]

I panic.

Actually we went and got a cookery book from Amazon. Fortunatly we have yet to have of those venus people, you know totally failed hunders who won't even eat fish or cheese.

[Battypuss]

Make a vegan lasagne for the first night? Get loads of pasta and veg in, the weirder the better, stir fry the lot and serve it to the pair of them. I doubt the wife cooks separately for herself and the husband. If she does, serve the stir fried whathaveyou with steak strips on the side?

Meatless meals can be a lot cheaper, so don't have a hissy fit, vegetarians in my opinion (and I was one for many years) start trying to espouse you to their cause and it ain't worth the hassle.

Buy a long life carton of soy milk just in case?

[Ian Hoare<br>All the best<br>Ian<br>La Souvigne Corrèze<br>http:www.souvigne.com]

Hi Coco,

What I'm going to say won't sit well with most people. Sorry. However, it's worth saying as it's an important principle. When eating Table d'Hôte, your guests are joining the owners at their family meal.

That is the basis upon which it is legal for us to offer meals and not be professional caterers. I've had vegetarians coming here. If they ask me nicely up front, before booking the meal, then I can make a decision as to whether to agree to feed them on the basis of who else is there.  If I agree, it may or may not be on the basis of doing a meatless meal - we fairly often eat them anyway.

However, I won't be bounced into cooking two different meals, and I'm damned if I'm going to make 5 people eat meatless, because of one person's likes/moral stand/dietary needs. It's the same logic that prevents me making a VERY chili hot Cajun meatloaf, for my guests, or an indian meal, even though Jacquie & I adore them. So if a vegetarian or vegan doesn't ask up front, but tries to trap us into it,  I tell them that our household isn't vegetarian, and that we're very sorry, but we can't cook for them.

You're right that vegetarianism is not very well accepted in France. We're lucky in that there are a couple of local restaurants that do fish very well, and one place that has a vegetarian meal. However, I try to warn people coming that this is a meat eating area, and that they are likely to meet with incomprehension.  I quite understand your worry about the rest of their time here. I'd be quite upfront about it and tell them it's not in your repertoire so you're happy stick to your promise, but won't be able to feed them again.

It's worrying that they don't answer email. Could they have already left? Mobile number? If you're cooking for others as well, you could plan on fish and say effectively "take it or leave it" to the vegetarian.

[Iceni]

My staple is a meatless frittata. I cook one normally twice a week to supplement the 'workers' lunch of homemade soup (and 'yes' John often wants to know what I do all day apart from work  ).

You need 2 or 3 eggs per person (I make it with 3 eggs per person as we have hens). I cut up onions and stick them in the bottom of a well oiled ovenproof dish and put it into the oven while it heats to 200 C. I mix the eggs with whatever cheese I have and anything else such as thawed green pepper (overflow from last years produce). Thawed drained frozen mushrooms or tinned ones also do well. When the oven has heated, pour eggy mixture over onions and cook for 20 to 30 mins. The eggs rise up through the veg. I make for a minimum of 2 people and will make 2 if I have one veggie and one meat eater. To me this is one of the easiest things to cook.

I add sliced dried meat/sausage, ham, lardons, tinned tuna, leftover meat etc etc. Vegetarians should eat eggs, milk cheese. They are normally vegans if they don't. A vegetarian does not eat fish and 'the occasional bit of chicken'. I know, I was one for 10 years.

It is up to you what you are prepared to do for your guests. I would also probably draw the line at providing meat and fish free dishes for a week. The best one I came across was a veggy on a low fat diet who did not like pulses because of the side effects, water anyone .

[Coco]

What I'm going to say won't sit well with most people. Sorry. However, it's worth saying as it's an important principle. When eating Table d'Hôte, your guests are joining the owners at their family meal.

You won't upset me with that statement Ian!  I posted my question and went shopping.  Whilst I was out I thought about whether I was being unreasonable and came to the same conclusion as your statement in red.  I'm NOT a restaurateur, I am a good home cook and offer my services to my guests.  My husband does a lot of physical work and although to make life easier on Friday we will eat the same as our guest (IF she eats fish) but for the rest of the week I intend to serve meat with every meal, as usual.  That's why, although some of the suggestions that have been given to me sound great, but won't be that practical if only being prepared for one person.

However, thanks to everyone who has made a suggestion, some of which I will certainly keep in reserve just in case I do have to anything else later in the week.

I think I may be panicking a little as surely, if the lady does not eat fish, cheese, eggs or dairy products they would have made that clear.  I'm taking it that she definitely doesn't eat meat, and possibly doesn't eat fish.

Battypuss:  Good point about the milk.  If she really is a total vegan I won't be cooking evening meals but she may like milk in her tea or coffee.  In the past I have found that if someone does drink soya milk they have brought it with them.  However, to play it safe, where in Saint Lo will I be able to get some?  Intermarche?  HyperChampion?  And is it soya in French too?

DI:  The fritatta (with a few lardons) sounds like a great lunch for the two of us anyway - thanks!

[JohnM]

I quite agree with Ian. The whole ethos behind inclusive meals is that everyone eats the same, therefore the meal can be turned out easily and cheaply. As soon as separate meals have to be prepared then it puts the costs up and (in my opinion) those should be passed on to the eater (however, if their diet is governed by a medical problem I reckon they have suffered enough, so I would waive any extra costs for them, but not for those who CHOOSE it).

But on the first night I'd do those stuffed peppers, they sound yummie.

 

[Quillan]

[quote]Hi Coco, What I'm going to say won't sit well with most people. Sorry. However, it's worth saying as it's an important principle. When eating Table d'Hôte, your guests are joining the owners at th...[/quote]

I have to say that when people book for meals in advance we always ask if they have any special dietry needs so we know in advance. We don't mind cooking two different meals (three on one occasion) and always try to be helpful. Perhaps thats why we have so much repeat business. It's a bit like catering for the gay community really, we advertise on a few gay websites quite sucessfully. As to the ethics, to be honest I don't give a damn to me it's just bums in beds and money in the till. We also take bikers and one nighters, the latter often stay for longer because they like us so much. We actually know of somebody who won't take gays, one nighters (must always book a week at a time), bikers, none English speakers, children, babies, un married couples or dogs. Funny, they don't get much business.

I think many people in this business forget what it's about. We are in a service industry, something the British are very good at and we can't afford, especially with all the competition around to be choosy. In my previous life running a very sucessful business the word NO was banned. If we couldn't do it we would learn how to and if we couldn't learn we knew somebody who could do it for us. As far as I can see using the same busines ethics in this industry is the right way to go. All to often we forget that for some people their holiday is the most precious time of the year, something they have saved for and may even have gone without something to pay for it. So I see my place as trying to make the guests time with me as being the most important time of the year for them and nothing is to much for me. My reward (apart from the money in the till) is to see happy smiling faces and to have guests come back time after time.

So cooking a veggie meal may be a tad inconvient to me but then it's something that has to be done.

[Cerise]

Hi Coco

We don't take vegans (sorry but there are limits) but will cater for vegetarians usually by giving them almost the same.  Things that spring to mind are vegetarian curry, but with tandoori chicken on the side for us carnivores, or pasta in tomato, red pepper and bean sauce with spicy sausages in the meat eaters portion.  If you are doing chops, steak, magret then you can find excellent veggie tarts in supermarket (Marie is name I can think of) and simply cook one of those instead of steak for that person.  I have found it works OK without too much extra bother.  If we have more than one veggie then everyone has meatless - even my other half who doesn't consider a meal without meat food!!

Although there is a great scarcity of vegetarian food in local restaurants, I have telephoned a couple who have been sympathetic and now I have an arrangement with one local place that they will do veggie meals if I call them before hand.  That might be worth doing if only to get them out one or two nights.

Last year we had a family - mother vegetarian, father didn't like veg and 'orrible infants would only eat fish fingers - at the end of the week I thought I would go mad!!  I find fussy kids worse to cater for than vegetarians.

Good luck

Maggi 

 

 

[zeb]

Quillan - I totally agree with you - if you want repeat business or even bums in beds and money in the till you give folk what they want within reason and, given the high percentage of vegetarians in the UK, I think it's reasonable to provide good, meat and fishless meals if requested.

Ian - I can't believe your attitude, but then, after reading your website perhaps I can

I don't run a chambre d'hote, just a house where all my friends are welcome and several of them are vegetarians. Cooking for them is easy and interesting - makes a great change from meat and two veg meals - and as Cerise says there are so many ways that meat or fish can be added to vegetarian meals for meat eaters.

I really think that if you can't be professional about accommodating and cooking for your guests (remember your guests, who are paying you, enable most of you to live in France), then maybe you're in the wrong business.

I can think of several times that vegetarians have asked advice on good places to stay on this forum over the years. It would be nice to be proud to recommend yourselves (by pm of course) surely!

[JohnM]

Those are some good points in favour of looking after the veggies. If it doesn't actually cost much more / not much more inconvenient to work them into the equation then it makes good sense.

I don't actually run a B&B / CdH / whatever, (some of you will now say "Just as well if that's your attitude!"   , but I had a friend who "insisted" that it was her right to be vegetarian and therefore everyone should pamper to her "wants", I got very annoyed with that attitude. (This hasn't happened for a few years - my current veggie friends are very easy going - so I eat veggie when in their company). If one chooses to buck a trend, I think one should be prepared to put up with the inconvenience and extra costs with good grace.

 

[Coco]

OOOOOhhh I didn't realise my simple question about a veggie recipe suggestion would open up such an ethical debate on the service industry.  However, my primary reason for asking (which perhaps I didn't make clear enough) was that I was stumped for more than one or ideas that would keep me within budget and would be easy to prepare alongside meat dishes.

I used to work for P&O Cruises and you may not believe it from their ferry service  but their customer service was second to none back in the 80s (I was once put on a written warning because following a three month world cruise I had 2 out of 800 passengers say on their feedback forms that I had been "a bit grumpy on occasions", regardless of the numerous "glowing reports" I received)  So I am used to giving and expect to receive first class customer service.

This includes the standard of the meals I serve - I have experienced poor quality food served in some B&Bs in France and vowed never to do the like when I had my own.  It is extremely difficult when one is offering a 4 course dinner including aperatif, wine and coffee for 20 euros to make very much profit at all.  I find it very hard to keep the costs below 10-12 euros per head which means I am "making" 10 euros per head (on average 4 guests for dinner) so 30-40 euros to cover gas, electricity and my time (not forgetting that includes the whole evening, not just preparation time).  I now take my time out of the equation, justifying to myself that I would have to cook for us anyway.  But it's never going to make me a millionaire.  Not that that was what I went into the business for in the first place, but I think that is why as much as customer service is important, it is also important to remember that this is a chambres d'hote, serving table d'hote. 

We've already had the debate about what one should expect to find in a chambre d'hote bedroom vs a hotel room, likewise I'm afraid I do not find cooking 2 or 3 different meals acceptable at table d'hote prices!

[Miki]

"........it is also important to remember that this is a chambres d'hote, serving table d'hote.

We've already had the debate about what one should expect to find in a chambre d'hote bedroom vs a hotel room, likewise I'm afraid I do not find cooking 2 or 3 different meals acceptable at table d'hote prices"

(Sorry now we have Mozilla as our browser I can't do the colouring or italics any one know how to sort it ?)

Anyway, after years in the Doo Don as a resto, campsite, gites etc, and serving all manner of different meals to all kinds of eaters, it was a pleasure to arrive here and be legally (GDF rules)obliged to offer no alternatives, well that's the regs stance but of course we do try to ensure that we can offer a slight choice to those that order in advance.

If one has someone who orders meals in advance, don't you just love it when they tell you on arrival or worse..... at the time of the meal, that they don't eat certain things and of course normally it is not always veggies who do that !

One will find that those who do TDH, will, as time goes by, get tougher on those that simply think you are a restaurant and, let's be honest here, many folks, especially the Brits simply don't know the difference between a TDH and a resto and why should they ?

We simply do not get enough "bums" on seats to make it much worthwhile to offer choices,(as I say with GDF it is not really allowed to do so) the maximum allowed is 15 people, try having a resto and surviving on 50% or less, coverage of that ! It is certainly more of a service than a profit motivator.

We know for a fact that we get many stay here as we are one of very few in this area that offer TDH and that can sway many folks to book here. We get quite a few who ask first whether we do "le repas du soir". It is obvously quite nice to know that one can get a meal, drink copious amounts of wine etc and then simply climb (stagger even !) a few stairs afterwards to bed.

I would say this though, if we were on the edge of a village that had a nice choice of a couple of restos, we would probably stop TDH pretty smartish !!

We dream of nights off in season (and at other times as well, I may add ! For some reason we have no guests in this Saturday night (because of the big weekend last week perhaps) and we have our fingers crossed that it will stay like that 'cos then we will be off out and go to eat somewhere, lovely !

[Ian Hoare<br>All the best<br>Ian<br>La Souvigne Corrèze<br>http:www.souvigne.com]

Hi,

I knew this would stir up a storm! To answer some specific points, Quillan, we, too ask if people have specific dietary requirements, and in ten years have (with one embarrassing mistake) always been able to keep to their needs. As I said, if people are upfront over being vegetarians, then I'll see if I can accommodate them. (Zeb in his odd response, obviously missed that).

However, while I will always see what I can do about helping and accommodating clients, that MUST be within what the realms of the business. I'm running a Gites de France CdH in France, not a 5 star hotel for vegetarians in San Francisco. As such I MUST conform to the GdF rules in force, especially if I think they are dead right in principle. The rules governing Tables d'Hôte, are that everyone eats the ONE "family meal". We all eat together and at the same table. I will re-emphasize this, as it seems to have passed over one or two peoples' heads. We MUST keep to our own business. If we don't, and move too far towards running an hotel, we will sooner or later be taxed and treated as such.

I found Zeb's comments about my web site snide and unpleasant, and am surprised and disappointed that he should have so demeaned himself as to make them. He claims to have read my website, but he obviously didn't read my (genuine) "livre d'Or", with excerpts of customers' comments on the establishment. He might be surprised to discover that we have the highest occupancy figure in the Correze, running at an annual percentage occupancy of around 50% overall. We also have one of the highest repeat rates, and the longest average length of stay.

My stance over food is as follows. I would never seek to impose my personal dietary likings on another person, and therefore, am not prepared to allow one or two people to impose theirs on all my remaining guests. I use the same logic when it comes to arriving on time. Normally my dinner start with drinks at 7.30pm and we may have 8 around the table. I don't really see why two people arriving late should impose their lack of organisation on 6 others. So I don't wait for latecomers. Firstly they may not be coming - it's happened a couple of times, especially when there have been no deposits. Secondly, they'll be far MORE embarrassed arriving an hour late (as has happened) to see 6 famished faces round the table, and to have a ruined meal, than to find we've started. And if they're miffed, then it's only TWO we've offended rather than the remaining 6. It's all about good manners and rudeness. I think it's impolite to be late, and - coming back to vegetarians - either a misunderstanding of what it is to be a guest at a CdH, or impolite, knowing the way we work, to impose THEIR diet on everyone else.

 

 

 

[CD]

Vegetarians do not eat fish.  If one eats fish, then one is not a vegetarian (although you do get some odd people who call themselves veggie but eat fish!  Denial methinks!)

Vegetarians do eat eggs, cheese, milk, etc.  Not to would be vegan.  Believe me, a vegan would make it absolutely clear what they don't want to eat (I'm one myself).

There are TONS of veggie receipes on the net... try the BBC site - it's crammed with veggie receipes from all parts of the world. 

A curry or chilli would be rather a cop-out - I wouldn't be very impressed to be served a 'one-pot' dinner on my holidays - but then again, I'd give plenty of notice to my hosts!

[winterbunny]

I am quite happy to prepare a veggie meal, for either invited or paying guests.  It has got to be a 'proper' veggie meal though, not just a fish or white meat only one.  One proviso is that they must give me notice; I ask in the confirmation letter, if they've booked a first night or half board meals. 

Good book is the new Good Housekeeping Veggie book, lots of pictures and good menus. 

Buns

[Owens88]

Up front declaration I am a fish-eating veggie. (A demi-veg for those who like strict definitions).

 If you ever fly a long flight in BA they offer about a dozen variants on vegetarian, (but booked beforehand ) and I think it fair for the hote to ask the question, even fairer for the guest to have made things clear in the first place.

I know that there has been a separate debate in the forum about the difference between hotel and CdH. Flexibility of eating was one difference I cited there. As it happens we have many years experience and will always enquire beforehand, but the attitudes in this thread harden my views against 'bundled deals' where food and accomodation are combined.

BUT I do know of CdH with excellent flexibility and capacity to please vegetarians. So should they make a point of their flexibility (to avoid people avoiding them) or should others make a point of 'no flexibility' (as in no pets etc.)?  Its an interesting marketing conundrum.  My advice to the CdH tight budget regime would be 'limited flexibility with prior warning'.

BTW. Serving a vegetarian the same as others 'without the meat' is not the sign of a good host. Nobody is going to starve or become malnourished over one meal, but host means more than 'take it or leave it' doesn't it ? If I 'hosted' a meal at home that,say, had cheese in it and one of the guests could/would not eat cheese I would expect to have something else in stock as an emergency substitute.

As for restaurants and veggies. Yes France is very variable. In my village (Vernet Les Bains) the cheapest cafe offers a limited range of choices each night, which sometimes suits and sometimes doesn't. The mid range and above see themselves as restaurants and will cook what they can.  I recall one night buying into a meat laden 3 course special that turned into beetroot and watercress salad (grown by the owner/witress) and a fish in lemon sauce (not on the menu but subsequently ordered by somebody arriving after me).

Unless its a hobby for you it shoud be seen as a service industry, so draw your 'stop lines' with care.

Cheers all

John

 

 

[winterbunny]

I think it's a good point that the local restaurants don't always cater.  One local one who we forwarned about our non fish eating veggie friend, offered a plate of fish and aubergines in sauce with a heavy base of veal jus.  When we explained she wouldn't eat it, they took it away and represented with just an extra slice of aubergine and more veal jus!

It's one of the reasons I'm quite happy to oblige, it can ruin a holiday if you can't find a decent meal. 

For fish and white meat only eaters, it's not a problem because we can all eat a meal cooked with those ingredients; I would only cook a 'special' main course for the veggie only veggie

Even a 5 course meal only needs to have the main course separated with careful planning and a healthy store of vegetable stock.

Buns

[Battypuss]

I am happy to say that I run nothing whatever, but am a keen cook. Over the last thirty five years of slaving over a hot stove/wok/camping gas/open fire I have probably cooked more than the average number of vegetarian/vegan meals, despite being a dyed in the wool carnivore (after a 5 year excursion into being veggie).

Probably a bit late now, but the Health Food shop next to the Eglise St Croix in St. Lô has a large variety of packets, miwes and ready meals to suit all those who avoid meat and two veg. Leclerc, Champion and Inter all stock soy milk, Soja in French.

If all else fails, hi yourself to the epicerieanglaise website and order a couple of packets of Sosmix or similar...takes no time at all to throw something together with a packet of that to hand.

Frankly, with the wealth of fresh vegetables available here, I find it difficult to credit that anyone should be stuck for inspiration regarding a meatless meal!

AS I said at the beginning, I don't have to make a living out of this, but do feel that GIVEN WARNING (and I stress this part!) it should be easy enough to think up something. Enormous areas of the world eat no meat, either through choice or lack of availability and they seem to be getting on OK. If I WAS in the business of feeding to people for profit, I think I would cook whatever the paying customer wanted to eat. If not, I wouldmake it abundantly clear on my booking form...

'Special Diets NOT CATERED FOR'.

[Lesbatees]

Ooooh, this one did stir up a hornet's nest, didn't it?

As one of those troublesome vegetarians myself, I would much appreciate any CDH in France which made an attempt to cater for my needs, and would be inclined to keep going back there whenever I visited. However, since I run a veggie establishment, the more CDH owners out there who refuse to cater for veggies the more business there is for us from veggies who want to visit France AND get a decent meal! Funnily enough, we've had plenty of "carnivores" who, having tried the evening meal on arrival (can't hurt to eat veggie just this once, can it?), have opted to eat in most nights of their stay. Vegetarian food is obviously not THAT dull.

OK people, I know this is France, but we're in the tourist business, and as someone put it, "flexibility within reason". (And no, that doesn't mean I'd cook meat for meat eaters, even if they did give prior notice :-))

Val

[mascamps.com]

We offer vegetarian meals alright. Where we have had problems is with someone who needed a gluten free diet. Much as we'd have liked to accommodate them, we just couldn't do it as we've yet to see gluten free products locally.

One recent couple who stayed with us specified one fish dish and one no eggs which wasn't a problem but I for one (I'm not the cook) was amazed at how much we needed to charge for the fish dish. When I looked at it, I was thinking 10 or 12€ but it actually ended up at 25€ simply because of the cost of the fish and even at that price, we weren't making our normal profit margin. From what I've seen most of the CdH who do evening meals don't charge anything like that for their TdH so could well end up losing money if a meal like that was specified.

 

Arnold

 

[winterbunny]

I do have a slight problem with the thought that a vegetarian would specify non meat at a non veggie place and not be prepared to reciprocate if they ran a CdH for all comers - I do cook veggie and eat it at friends; I don't specifically cater only for special diets; after all some require very specialised ingredients and the cost can be prohibitive, but try to accommodate as much as possible.

I don't cook fish very often due to the cost in an inland area.  Whilst we should remain flexible within reason to people's needs we aren't necessarily trained chefs and do not have unlimited resources, I wouldn't be happy accepting a booking from someone who insisted I cooked fish for them at every meal, or I would suggest they eat at local restaurants for most of their meals. The other thing to bear in mind is that we are not a restaurant and the whole idea of TdH is that guests eat the family meal and don't have a choice of menu nor the right to insist on a particular style or ingredient.

Some gluten free cookery is already in the general domain, for instance you can use cornflour in some receipes which call for wheat flour, and soy milk and soy products and rye flour are in the supermarkets.  There is a French web site catering for gluten free products; but cooking for a whole week for just one or 2 guests wanting gluten free can be tricky and expensive.

My thoughts are that if the diet is very restricted or expensive we have the right to decline politely or to ask for extra to cover the cost and work involved.  If I thought that the skills needed where beyond me I would refuse the booking.

Buns