It has shredded itself out! Hikers who master the path from Pfronten-Kappel through the lush green mountain forest up to the "Hündleskopfhütte" are rewarded with a breathtaking view after an almost one-hour climb to 1,180 m above sea level. At your feet are the wildly romantic lakes and Alpine foothills of the Schlosspark region, at eye level the Allgäu, Ammergau and Tannheim Alps and the striking Zugspitze massif in the distance.

Pride and prejudice

At first glance, their hut looks like a traditional mountain inn, as it has always been: rustic, traditional, cozy. But appearances are deceptive. There is a new culinary style here. The trained home economist's menu of the day is entirely meat-free. Instead of schnitzel, sliced pork or bacon, home-made Schlutzkrapfen sizzle in the pans, fresh spinach dumplings simmer on the stove and alpine bread is served on a wooden board. A golden yellow spelt plait is baking in the oven. We have it with our coffee. Soy milk too. Both taste simply delicious and much better than expected. There's not a trace of sausage or the prejudice of militant vegetarians or vegans on her sun terrace. Silvia tells us that she can also cook a great sauerbraten and the rest of the guests don't look like they only eat soy strips and seitan day in, day out.

The ingredients for the dishes they prepare come from the health food store around the corner as well as from regional producers and farmers; the cheese comes from a GMO-free dairy. The vegetables used are Demeter quality and have been awarded the organic label. Even with the coffee, attention is paid to "Hand in Hand" projects, which focus on fair, honest remuneration for the workers on the coffee plantations. This also promotes fair and sustainable cultivation.

Silva Beyer has obviously struck a chord with the times with her culinary change of perspective. Hikers in the Alps have long had the impression that it is no longer just the path that is the destination, but also the host. After all, pleasure hikers have long associated a stop-off in the mountains with more than just blood sugar levels and calorie balance. The days of breaded scraps of meat from the deep fryer and pasta with ketchup at a mountain hut are - thank goodness - over. What you can expect from the landlord is good cuisine; fresh and regional with rustic hut charm. "Many typical hut dishes, from Kaiserschmarrn pancakes to the typical cheese pancakes, have always been meat-free anyway, but why not make them vegetarian and vegan?", thought Silvia Beyer, fulfilling a heartfelt wish.

Culinary experiments are in her blood. Her grandmother was already cooking a diet without fish, meat, sugar and white flour, which was rather unusual at the time, following the example of Swedish food reformer Are Waerland - 100% vegetarian. Growing up on her farm, Silvia learned to cook from her and became a self-confessed vegetarian from her teenage years out of love for animals. Later, on the Demeter farm in the Swabian Alb, she gained her own experience with biodynamic farming methods. Since then, Silli, as she is often called, has been able to understand her grandmother's way of life even better. The daily questions "What do I eat today and how do I prepare it?" have been with Silli for a long time. The lively Allgäu native has already worked at various huts - always with enough vegetable power at the start as well as a variety of new cooking inspirations, which she can fully implement in her own hut.

Hut wrap rocks, not only in times of Corona 

The Hündleskopfhütte also felt the effects of corona, but Silvia knew how to help herself in times of lockdown: The idea of the hut wrap was born. Homemade dough with a local herb mix, topped with Sennerschmaus (a type of cream cheese) and fresh lettuce rolled up in the middle. A culinary delight to go. Because her chef of many years, Ali, who even completed the practical part of his training with Silvia as a specialist for the tourism association, was immediately on fire for this campaign. The "family of ambassadors", as Silli calls them, is characterized above all by their diversity, individual outstanding ideas, special professions and the genuine Bavarian charm that connects them all. Time and again, local camera crews come by to shoot videos1 . The clips show a panoramic view of the hut with a "grippy" flair, where visitors are served delicious, fresh and regional food by the hut team - unless there's another Pakistani dish at the end of the month. And all this against a stunning mountain backdrop. In winter, you can take a leisurely toboggan ride back down the trail or challenge each other in a toboggan race. What more do you need to be happy?