Yorkshire Dales hotel, England
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Since taking on the The Traddock Hotel Yorkshire we have always had a passion for sustainability and work hard at being an eco friendly hotel. In 2006 we won the Soil Association Organic Restaurant of the Year and were runners up in 2007 – we have used local, seasonal and where possible, organic produce at the heart of our menus since our inception in 2002. We have enjoyed developing a strong working relationship with many excellent local farmers and groups who are all also committed to quality and sustainable farming practices. Our list of ‘where does it all come from’ can be found under our dining section or follow this link.
We have an eco-friendly policy within the hotel focused on reducing our impact and waste and making sure everything that is commercially possible is done to minimise our impact on our local beautiful environment.
Examples of our wide range of activities are detailed below:-
We have a wine list with 45% (and growing) of our wines either organic or bio-dynamic.
We recycle and separate as much of our waste as possible:-
Cardboard and paper waste is crushed & baled and donated to Settle Swimming Pool project. The cardboard from the community is then sold to a local recycler and the funds raised used to keep our local swimming pool open.
Plastic containers are crushed, baled and recycled
All glass is separated and collected by the local council for recycling.
We have installed a water purifier that allows us to provide cost effective local still and sparkling water in reusable but stylish branded litre bottles. This water is used in the bedrooms and restaurant and has reduced our glass waste by 40% in 2010.
Our kitchen oil is collected by the Clapham Community Cooperative group who recycle the oil into Bio-diesel.
We compost most of our vegetable and garden waste which is used to fertilise our vegetable patch and garden.
Peelings and other kitchen scraps are sent to our 2 pigs looked after on a local farm. These pigs are fattened on the scraps and then butchered into Sausages and Chops which are shared free amongst the staff at the Hotel.
By choice we have selected and work with Northern Environmental, who provides us with a range of ecologically sound chemicals and products that are used in the cleaning of the hotel.
We use Eco-pure washing liquids in our own on site highly energy efficient Meile laundry. Eco-pure is so mild we do not use a softener and save significant quantities of water.
We use a new unique bacterial digester for our gent’s toilets therefore saving on water wastage as the urinal does not need to be flushed as often.
We have created our own herb and vegetable garden that provides some of our herbs, vegetables and garnish. The land we have available is small so we also work with Growing with Grace a local organic growing cooperative 2 miles away, who provide us with freshly picked seasonal vegetables and with us are experimenting with growing ‘heritage’ varieties not normally seen and often specifically for us.
Community
All our suppliers are as local as possible so that food miles are kept to a minimum. In some cases produce is piggy-backed to us to save cost and waste e.g. Mansergh Hall brings their own farm produce together with the Milk and Cream from Low Sizergh Barn Dairy.
With Growing with Grace we work with local schools to help educate and inform on food issues, healthy eating etc. This is reinforced with competitions leading to winners using their ‘recipes’ in our Restaurant
Potatoes are provided by the Clapham Community Cooperative just 1.5 miles away in the next village.
Our eggs are organic and come from a local supplier in the next Dale.
Our energy needs are being reduced by installing low energy long life light bulbs. The laundry equipment and our Combi oven are energy efficient.
Cardboard and paper waste is crushed & baled and donated to Settle Swimming Pool project. The cardboard from the community is then sold to a local recycler and the funds raised used to keep our local swimming pool open.
Our kitchen team make as much “home-made” as possible with bread, jams, fruit compotes, yoghurt, cereals, biscuits and cakes all being made on site by our very talented chefs.
For the future we are looking to add devices to our heating oil and electricity supply to reduce our consumption and improving our efficency. Our existing loft insulation is also to be improved.
1of3
