The Black River Inn, Black Torrington, Devon
This cracking village freehouse, with stunning views over the Devon countryside, offers a warm welcome to all. Its support local policy sees quality, locally sourced food served, including dishes crafted from produce grown in the pub’s kitchen garden or by locals in exchange for pints.
Its carefully curated drinks range also celebrates the best of the region, with 85% of products sourced locally, including products from local breweries and distilleries.
Publicans Gill and Alex’s sharp focus on sustainability includes using no fossil fuels in the kitchen, with an open hearth used for wood fired cooking, which delivers a seasonally changing menu of around 45 tasty British tapas dishes.
The past year has seen the pub continue to embrace its strong focus on reusing and recycling, with its furniture range - with tables build from pallet wood or donated by locals helping it to increase its covers both inside and in its beautiful garden.
The pair’s passion for making the pub as sustainable as possible sees constant changes and measures implemented, and plans for the future include creating an edible garden on the flat roof of its kitchen and driving its existing kitchen garden further to supply around 50% of produce.
The Camelot, South Cadbury, Somerset
The Camelot is a characterful pub, which embraces traditional values and offers a warm welcome to all, including families and four-legged friends who enjoy its ‘dog library’ including bowls, sticks and treats.
Since taking on this charming village freehouse, situated on the Somerset and Dorset border, earlier this year, publicans Sarah and Paul have made a big positive impact, including through their strong focus on sustainability.
Sustainability achievements include significantly driving down energy usage, sending salad and vegetable cuttings to a local guinea pig rescue, using as many local food and drink suppliers as possible and putting a strong focus on reducing food waste through initiatives such as pre-portioning sauces in ramekin dishes and offering free top ups for Sunday roast trimmings, rather than piling plates high, with both initiatives delivering excellent results.
Future plans include growing some of their own produce and opening a vintage tea room with craft workshops at the pub.
The Riverside at Aymestrey, Herefordshire
Situated deep in the heart of the Herefordshire countryside, this 16th century destination pub, run by chef patron Andy Link and general manager iGeorge Parkes, is the perfect spot for a fabulous meal, drink experience or relaxing night away.
Localism and sustainability is an ethos embraced across both the food and drink menus, with dishes created to showcase the region’ finest seasonal produce and also utilising many Slow Food Ark of Taste ingredients, designed to preserve at risk foods. The pub also has created nature walks for guests and has a two-acre smallholding including bees, pigs, chickens, a heritage orchard and two kitchen gardens, which help provide a bounty of ingredients for its talented chefs.
There is also an excellent waste reduction strategy at this Coach House Inns’ pub, including whole animal butchery, composting for the kitchen gardens and analysing food waste to create ingredients such as carrot top pesto.
Exciting products from the wonderful drinks offer include the pub’s own sloe gin, cobnut liqueur and vermouth, which is made with over 30 foraged and homegrown botanicals, with chefs regularly foraging for new drink ideas.
The pub also launched a green community fund earlier this year to generate money through customer donations for local projects, such as tree and meadow planting, with around £15,000 a year being raised.
The Castle Inn Bar & Grill, Monmouth, Wales
This welcoming high street pub was opened by publicans Carl Willett and Paul Cinderey just over a year ago and they have created a great space and atmosphere to attract in customers through the day.
Sustainability was a key focus of the pub’s refurbishment, including using reclaimed materials and recycling furniture and launching with a menu focused on locally sourced ingredients.
The bar is a shining example of simple measures pubs can take around sustainability without spending lots of money, with what and who they source from and its well-considered refuse disposal process, all part of what its team does daily to lower the site’s environmental impact.
The cornerstone of its sustainability focus is supporting a tree planting initiative in partnership with Sustainably Run Restaurants, where an optional 99p on the bill helps to reverse deforestation and support tree planting in deprived communities around the world, with more than 2,600 ‘gift tree’ trees being funded through the pub’s donations to date.
Carl and Paul also market the great work they are doing to improve the pub’s sustainability well, including details of the steps the pub is taking around sustainability featured on menus and table talkers and QR codes with information on the planting scheme.
The Duke of Cambridge, Islington, London
The talented team behind Britain’s first organic pub, which has been certified by the Soil Association since 1998 and has a 3* accreditation from the Sustainable Restaurant Association, have sustainability at the centre of the business, with a continual drive to keep improving its sustainability credentials and new ideas continually being embraced. In fact, its strong sustainability focus is what attracts staff to work here.
This atmospheric neighbourhood pub, which is part of the Culpeper Family Hospitality Group and is led by head chef and the group’s head of sustainability Peter Weeden and general manager Samantha Woollcott, offers a food menu focused on seasonal ingredients from organic farmers and growers, with a strong focus on interesting plant-based dishes. Drinks are also well-sourced according to its robust sustainability criteria, and includes beers from Purity and Hiver, spirits from Sacred in London’s Highgate and wines which are organic, natural and biodynamic.
Waste is kept to a minimum with leftover produce used to create staff food and the bar’s juice of the day, beer and cider waste utilised to make vinegars and in bread and any food waste there is used for compost for Culpepper group’s allotment.
The pub proudly wears its sustainability credentials on its sleeve, with customer information boards and striking artwork helping to highlight the positive work it is doing in this area.
The Railway Inn, Yatton, Somerset
While this warm and welcoming Star Pubs & Bars’ pub dates back to the 1800s, its sustainability credentials are firmly set in the 21st century and it features in the Green Pub Guide 2022.
Publican Merran Lawrence and her brilliant team are passionate about making the pub, which also has an excellent focus on sport, as sustainable as possible with strong processes in place around food waste, recycling, bulk buying and delivery consolidation, selecting suppliers with strong sustainability credentials and energy reduction, including having a SmartDispense system in the cellar which significantly reduces the pub’s water and CO2 use.
Being a family-friendly pub, and with many team members having young families, the pub’s continually evolving focus on sustainability is driven by a desire to help make the planet the best place it can be local children.
All staff are encouraged to input ideas around sustainability and are trained to ensure they understand and implement waste-saving measures.
The pub’s garden, which has recently seen the addition of an inviting pergola area to help host events, is filled with flowers to encourage wildlife, helping to create a better ecosystem.
