BaxterStorey, the UK’s largest independent hospitality provider, has partnered with Waste Knot to wage war on waste and assist the food supplier in getting surplus veg out of farmers’ fields and into the kitchens of chefs.
With BaxterStorey serving around one million meals per day this new partnership will support Waste Knot’s mission of providing a new market for its growers as well as giving BaxterStorey chefs, renowned for their entrepreneurial and creative flair, the challenge and reward of creating exciting dishes from fresh, locally grown, seasonal ingredients.
With around 7% of fruit and veg produce grown in the UK never making it to a plate, generating more than £1bn worth of food going to waste, this new partnership not only supports BaxterStorey’s commitment to reducing the environmental impact of the hospitality sector but is also another step towards enhancing the industry’s sustainability credentials by leading chefs to engage with the wider agricultural industry.
The announcement of this new partnership is another demonstration of BaxterStorey’s on-going commitment to minimising food waste, a cause that is a big focus for the hospitality provider and which has also inspired its Food EQ model.
By focusing on fresh, locally sourced produce, the Food EQ model, which celebrates plant-based ingredients, changes the reliance on meat and fish as being the stars of the plate and instead introduces alternatives whilst also highlighting the need for a more balanced diet that contributes to healthy living and more a sustainable future.
BaxterStorey’s Director of Food, Greg Bramwell, shared, “It’s an exciting time for BaxterStorey as we recently launched our Obsessed with Food vision. Partnering with Waste Knot encourages our chefs to get creative and be inspired to explore new innovative ways of cooking with all parts of the plant as well as completely new ingredients.
'Our shared food philosophy on being bold, brave, and challenging the norm, will not only reduce our food waste and create a more sustainable industry, but gives customers a real memorable and delightful hospitality experience”.
Jess Latchford, Director at Waste Knot, added, “Waste Knot looked at the traditional way of getting fresh food from farm to kitchen - and gave it a little tweak.
'Our method works alongside the conventional way of doing things but gives growers a new market for their misshapen and surplus fruit and vegetables whilst giving chefs the opportunity to create great food from seasonal ingredients. This way everybody wins, from farmers to caterers, as well as our precious and fragile environment.”
Mike Hanson, BaxterStorey’s Director of Sustainable Business, commented, ‘This collaborative partnership is absolutely fantastic, not only does it deliver brilliant produce for our teams to create great food, the partnership also massively supports both our net zero ambitions and programmes to design out waste”.
