NO PUNTS ON
SUSTAINABLE CATERING
Conference News casts its eye over Cambridge , which is one of the UK ’ s most food-conscious conference destinations in the UK
ith many venues in its portfolio following sustainable practices in their catering – both in terms of the operation and ingredients – Meet Cambridge has not been shy to celebrate the wide range of initiatives currently taking place in the city and surrounding area .
Meet Cambridge , the city ’ s official venue-finding service , was itself a winner in the latest Green Impact Awards given by Cambridge University , receiving a Silver and Special Recognition for its own environmental achievements .
This year , Gonville & Caius College has completed a major refurbishment of its kitchens , replacing gas with electricity , and installing recycling systems that use the waste heat from additional fridges and freezers to heat water for a range of uses . Not only has the project saved considerable energy , but also improved food waste management to include composting .
At Newnham College , menus have been recently updated to incorporate more sustainable products , some of which are grown in the kitchen garden located within its grounds .
King ’ s College Coffee Shop Team
“ It is heartening to see so many creative initiatives to achieve greater sustainability underway in Cambridge ’ s venues ”
Mel Searle , conference manager , says : “ Our chef brigade works closely with the gardeners and all our local suppliers to ensure we really do serve food that is generated close to home . Although we don ’ t have a food waste menu yet , we do try to re-use as much leftover food as possible .”
Sustainable choices
New sustainable choices for event organisers are top of the menu at the Møller Institute , backed up by sustainable production methods and practices such as sourcing foods from within the smallest radius whenever possible , using herbs from its own on-site herb garden and creating menus that reflect local growing seasons . Organic ingredients are used wherever feasible and free-range chicken , eggs and meat , along with seafood sourced from sustainable fisheries , are incorporated .
This is coupled with initiatives to reduce waste such as asking suppliers to source products with www . conference-news . co . uk