When we say people and the planet come first, we mean it. Sustainability means ensuring the long-term futures of the wonderful producers we rely on.
OUR PRODUCE
From fish and vegetables to wine and fruit - we always consider how and where we get our produce from. We are constantly trying to improve our sourcing by working closely with the people that grow and catch the amazing ingredients we use.If that means we have to grow it ourselves too then that is what we have to do. Rob Cooper, our head chef, always says…
“Use the best ingredients you can get and try not to f**k them up”.
We work with some amazing local growers, fisherman and vineyards that all work in a society that values quantity over respect for the planet. That can be challenging at the best of times so to champion and showcase this in the restaurants is so important.to help them continue in their work.
Our farm and Jack Scott
Jack is an former agricultural student and now our head grower. We have partnered with him, and Nonnington Farm just outside Canterbury, in order to grow vegetables that are farmed with the utmost respect for the soil and provide a young, talented grower with the opportunity to create a long-term sustainable business.
Jack started growing on a small piece of land directly outside his house, and after a chance conversation with his Dad (our local roadsweeper), we tried some of his wonderful home-grown produce - needless to say his never-ending quest for better soils and outstanding vegetables won us over. So when Jack met the wonderful James and Emma at Nonnington Farms and suggested a partnership we jumped at the chance to create a new way for us to work. We now have two acres of land that will provide produce for the restaurant, which in turn allow us to reduce our plastic and our reliance on transporting vegetables from further afield.
The idea is to grow each year to produce more for our restaurant but also to allow Jack to widen his business to ensure his long term viability. Much like working with Tom, this is not for us to hide our suppliers, it is for us to share them with the local area and help provide a more sustainable way of working for us all.