STICKLEBARN, the only pub which the National Trust own and run, has been shortlisted (Thurs 6 Sept) for a Value Natural Resources award by the Sustainable Restaurant Associations (SRA) as part of their annual Food Made Good Awards 2018.
If successful they would join other winners at a ceremony on 1st October at FEST Camden in London at which 17 awards will be presented. The Food Made Good Awards recognise restaurants and foodservice businesses whose extraordinary accomplishments in the last year are helping diners to use the power of their appetites wisely.
The National Trust’s Operations Manager at Sticklebarn, Charlotte Fuke said: “Food touches every part of our lives. The choices we make about where our food comes from, how it is produced and prepared has the power to support a healthier future for people and the planet. As a conservation charity we care deeply about this. We will continually look to find ways to be as sustainable as we can in the running of this pub.”
The Value Natural Resources award, sponsored by Quorn, is designed to recognise businesses using smart solutions to better preserve energy and water, or demonstrating innovative ways of fitting out their sites to preserve resources.
A key part of the National Trust’s sustainability practice at Sticklebarn is the Stickle Ghyll hydro, a system that uses fast-flowing water to generate energy. The hydro was completed in 2015 and delivered 385,421 kWh in its first year, enough energy to power 90 homes and 7% more energy than anticipated. In 2017 more than half of the pub’s electricity came from hydropower. Energy sold into the grid is invested back into its conservation work by the National Trust.
As Charlotte explained: “Using hydroelectricity to power Sticklebarn has been a huge leap forward for us. We are probably amongst only a handful of pubs in the country to be powered by water. But there is still so much more that we can do from the way we handle waste and the equipment we use in the kitchen to how we source our ingredients.”
In August Sticklebarn also became the only pub in the Lake District to be awarded a two, out of three, star rating by the Sustainable Restaurant Association. They were assessed against all aspects of the business in three key areas – sourcing, environment and society.
Raymond Blanc, OBE, President of the SRA, said: “The Food Made Good Awards shortlist always delivers incredible examples of what the leaders in our industry are doing to create a better food future. Whether it’s chefs creating beautiful new menus that celebrate vegetables or finding new ways of using less plastic, the Food Made Good Awards are the perfect way to celebrate the people and businesses using food as a force for good. I would urge all chefs and restaurateurs to take inspiration from these sustainability pioneers and follow their lead.”
One of the 17 award is the People’s Favourite, the only award to be decided by the public. Readers of delicious. magazine nominated hundreds of restaurants serving food that not only tastes good, but does good too. An expert panel of judges, including the magazine’s editor Karen Barnes, have shortlisted three restaurants: The Black Swan at Oldstead, The Breakfast Club, Soho and Dusty Knuckle Pizza in Cardiff and the public has been voting for its favourite.
Raymond Blanc’s Sustainability Hero 2018, sponsored by Open Blue Cobia, will also be revealed at the ceremony.
A list of all those shortlisted can be found here: https://awards.thesra.org/awards/shortlist/
