At The Long Table our commitment to sourcing great food is integral to our mission of 'Feeding Change, one bite at a time'. We believe in the power of great food and the positive impact it can have on our community, our health and the health of our planet. Our food sourcing policy is rooted in our desire for everyone in our community to have access to great food, and someone to eat it with.
food sourcing policy
We prioritize sourcing ingredients from local farmers and producers who practice regenerative agriculture. This approach helps in restoring soil health, conserving water, and improving biodiversity, thereby contributing to a healthier planet. By engaging with local producers, growers, suppliers, and wholesalers we support the local economy and foster a sense of community resilience and interdependence. Putting pounds into the local food economy builds a stronger and more resilient local food system, and we believe that as part of the hospitality sector we can play a key role in seeing every part of our local food system thrive, to the benefit of all. We value strong relationships with our suppliers and seek to support them in broad and creative ways to develop a more resilient local food economy.
Local and Regenerative Agriculture
Our menus are designed around seasonal availability, celebrating the freshest produce available. This not only ensures the highest quality, flavour and nutritional impact, but also reduces the carbon footprint associated with food transportation and storage. The UK hunger gap season restricts the availability of local vegetables so we work with local growers to make the most of what is available during the slow months, and explore how we can best store and preserve produce to add diversity to our menu during the hunger gap.
Seasonal Menus
Our menu is led by plant-focused dishes, recognizing the positive environmental impact of regeneratively grown plant-based ingredients and the need to reduce consumption of intensively grown meat.
Plant-focused menu
When animal products are used, we ensure they are sourced from local, ethical suppliers who adhere to high welfare standards and are transparent throughout the supply chain from farm to abattoir to butcher. Our team should be able to visit the farm and see the high welfare standards in action. We recognise that higher welfare meat often costs more to produce, therefore we will aim for less-but-better meat. See Appendix 1 for our Lead policy relating to game.
Ethical animal sourcing
We want our local food system to thrive and grow and we want our customers to know where they can access great food. We celebrate who our suppliers are and find creative ways to connect them with our customers.
Celebrating provenance
We are committed to minimizing food waste through agility and creativity from our chefs, careful menu planning, fermenting and preserving, and composting. Surplus food is repurposed creatively to ensure minimal waste, and seasonal gluts are made use of. Where possible we compost any food waste, and the compost can in turn be used to grow more food either on site or used by our community to grow their own.