Food Sustainability Policy

Fish and Seafood

We only use MSC certified fish and are always advised by our sources if a particular species is at risk of becoming endangered or will harm the environment in any way due to overfishing.

We are also signed up to the British skippers scheme and receive daily emails which gives us the opportunity to buy locally caught fish and seafood directly from day boats fishing in and
around the British Isles. This scheme supports our local fishermen and women who only catch quality fish from plentiful stocks.

Our fish supplier, Direct Seafoods is just as passionate as we are. Fisheries and aquaculture play a significant role in feeding our planet. Never before has responsible and sustainable fishing been so important for ensuring the well-being of people and the environment. Increasing demand for protein is putting pressure on fish stocks, while poorly managed aquaculture has a negative impact on the environment.

Dairy

We are proud to be able to provide our clients with certified Free Range milk under the Pasture Promise label from Jones Brothers dairy. The Pasture Promise logo on our milk guarantees that cows are free to graze in fields for a minimum of 180 days a year, with many exceeding this. For every litre of Pasture Promise milk we provide, an extra 2.5 pence is paid directly back to our farmers for demonstrating their commitment to keeping cows in fields and playing their part in securing the future for traditional British dairy farming.

To find more information about this great initiative, please click here.

Fruit and Vegetables

Our fruit and vegetable supplier, Allison Risebro provide us with as much UK produce as possible. They say: “For many years we have been supporting British growers during their growing season. In the last 7 years we have taken this a step further by visiting the farms direct to see the operation first hand. With the speed of technology and people’s eagerness to learn more about where their food comes from, this has spurred us on to showcase what we do to the wider audience.”

To name just a few, these are some of the farms Allison Risebro select our produce from:

• Clockhouse Farm Berries, Maidstone, Kent
• Herts Farm Pears/Cherries, Maidstone, Kent
• Eastwood Apples, Horsemonden, Kent
• Portwood Farm Asparagus, Wyndham, Norfolk
• Betts Farm Salad Growers, West Malling, Kent
• Bones Farm Cauliflowers, Broadstairs, Kent

More information can be found here.

Meat Poultry and Game

We use Direct Meats for our meat and poultry needs. They practice responsible procurement ensuring all due diligence is taken when choosing our suppliers. We are strong believers in animal welfare above and beyond EU legislation.

When possible we choose suppliers whose own animal welfare policy covers the 5 F’s:

• Freedom from pain, injury and disease
• Freedom from fear and distress
• Freedom from discomfort
• Freedom from hunger and thirst
• Freedom to express normal behaviour

All suppliers complete a supplier self-questionnaire annually. Each questionnaire is reviewed and if Direct Meats is not happy with the quality of care animals receive or we feel that improvements can be made, we will audit the suppliers unannounced and if necessary, delist them as suppliers.

The pork we use comes from Dingley Dell Farm. The farmers Paul and Mark Hayward are very passionate about the environment and have created a wildlife corridor around their land!

Direct Meats: “At Direct Meats, we actively look at efficiencies and ways to reduce our carbon footprint. We manage our stock in ways that allow us to reduce the number of deliveries made by
suppliers. We also enforce a minimum order amount, encouraging our customers to reduce the number of days we deliver to them. We regularly review our vehicles so we have the most recent technology. Currently, half our fleet have Euro 5 engines and half have Euro 6 engines, offering the lowest possible emissions. We also encourage employees to car share or use alternative modes of transport.

We only export on certain days, thus reducing the number of vehicle movements coming on site to collect shipments. Where possible, this is limited to once a week. We have recently upgraded our Biomass Boiler, the boiler will heat the staff room area of the factory, offices and the main house on site. It will also supply all the hot water for the site. The new boiler will reduce our carbon output by around 180.5 tonnes.

We have transformed an 8 acre unused field to the south of our site by planting 1,000 trees consisting of species such as Alder, Birch, English Oak, Red Oak, Horn Beam, Wild Cherry, Hazel, Crab Apple, Conifer and Pine. That will encourage birds to feed, wildlife to flourish and bees to pollinate; we have also planted a wild flower mix which blooms from June until October and once they seed it will provide much needed feed for song birds in the winter.”

For more information about Direct Meats, please click here.

And Finally our Coffee!

We are proud to say that we serve Lavazza coffee in all of our venues. We have chosen to use 100% Brazil Arabica. This particular variety originated in 2002 from a social responsibility project aiming to improve the social and environmental conditions and production techniques of a number of coffee-growing communities. Developed in collaboration with the NGO Rainforest Alliance, the project is the result of Lavazza’s strong commitment to sustainability and is based on three fundamental principles:

• Excellence of the product
• Support and care of the small communities
• Respect for the planet

A good coffee is like a good story: it’s a pleasure to share it. Discover the Lavazza commitment for sustainability here.