A VEGETARIAN hotel in Grasmere has been sold.

The Lancrigg Vegetarian Country House Hotel at Grasmere has been sold from an asking price of £295,000.

The Grade Two-listed building features 11 bedrooms and is located in 27 acres of gardens and grounds.

Its restaurant is renowned for its vegetarian and gluten-free food offering and was named Best Vegetarian Accommodation at the VegFest UK 2014 Awards.

The hotel's new general manager and head chef, Robert Stacey, has said that the restaurant will be staying '100 per cent' vegetarian for at least the rest of the year.

"We are taking some time to get to know our customers," he said. "It's got a long history of vegetarianism. If I were to change it then there would only be one meat choice on the menu."

The property dates from the 19th century and was visited regularly by the romantic poets such as Wordsworth, DeQuincy and Coleridge and also has links with Charles Dickens, Florence Nightingale and Charles Darwin.

Acting on behalf of owners Robert and Janet Whittington who are retiring after 36 years in the hospitality trade, Colliers International sold the lease of the business to Kendal-based Urban Group Limited which plans a significant upgrade of the property at the end of the 2016 holiday season.

Haydn Spedding, associate director, hotels and licensed property at the Manchester office of Colliers International sold the lease to Urban Group and said: "The sale of Lancrigg Vegetarian Country House Hotel reflects increased deal activity in the hospitality industry throughout the Lake District, Cumbria and wider northern region and is just one of a number of recent sales achieved by Colliers International."