AllWays Traveller Features
Sustainable food and drink Leicester and Leicestershire
Leicester is a city in the English county of Leicestershire.
Leicester Cathedral, where Richard III was reinterred in 2015, has stood at the city's heart for over 900 years.
Close by, the King Richard III Visitor Centre tells the story of the king's life and death and displays his original burial site.
The ruins of Leicester Castle, where Richard III spent some of his last days, lie in Castle Gardens, near the River Soar.
Leicester and Leicestershire are highlighting locally produced and sustainable food and drink with an increasing number of breweries, shops, restaurants, cafes and visitor experiences.
Leicestershire recently achieved a Silver Sustainable Food Places Award.
The awards' recognise and celebrate the success of those places taking a joined up, holistic approach to food and that are achieving significant positive change on a range of key food issues'.
Rothley Wine Estate
Rothley Wine Estate has initiated a number of sustainable activities including the planting the vineyard by hand and maintaining a 'no insecticide' policy to protect the resident colonies of bumble bees and ladybirds.
It collects the fleeces of locally sheared sheep and uses this to pack under the vines to control weeds and provide nitrates to feed the vines, as well as adopting a comprehensive compost strategy.
The butchery at March House Farm Shop
The butchery at March House Farm Shop in Great Dalby, which is run by Michael and Heather Belcher, uses solar panels to power the café, farm shop and butchery.
Regenerative and sustainable farming techniques such as using bio fertilizer on arable crops, minimal cultivation, direct drilling of seed and using beans grown on the farm as a protein source for the livestock.
Mount St Bernard Abbey Brewery
Tynt Meadow is a dark ale, fermented under the watchful eyes of the monks at Mount St Bernard Abbey Brewery.
It is the only Trappist ale brewed in the UK and the first beer brewed by monks in England since the Reformation.
The brewery uses sustainable practices, ingredients and techniques, allowing it to deliver a modern interpretation of time-honoured ale in an environmentally friendly and community conscious manner.
Café Ventoux
Located on Route 64 of the National Cycle Way, Café Ventoux is a destination cafe-restaurant in rural Leicestershire.
A popular stop for cyclists it has been named Britain's number one cycling café.
The cafe's new menu is full of fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
The Bee Farmer
The Bee Farmer produces high quality honey from his base in Ashby de la Zouch.
He also hosts a range of workshops around beekeeping and honey production.
The business is focused on sustainability by using glass jars for easy recycling, being part of the Slow Food Movement to reduce food miles, avoiding all plastics (the hives are made of wood), reducing wastage by making excess wax into candles, and using renewable energy on the farm.
Ferneley's Farm
Ferneley's Farm produces luxury dairy ice cream, from cows to cone! The most important ingredients in Ferneley's ice cream are its own farm fresh whole milk and cream, from the farm's herd of cows who are milked twice per day.
Not Just a Corner Shop
Not Just a Corner Shop is a mecca for food lovers, specialising in traditional foods such as bob cakes and pork pies, with world food including curries and scotch egg bhajis.
Based in Wigston Fields in Leicestershire, 80 per cent of its products are sourced from within 40 miles of Leicester, keeping food miles down and supporting local artisans.
Stoughton Grange Farm Shop and Distillery
Stoughton Grange Farm Shop and Distillery reduces its impact on the planet by incorporating daily practices from 100 years ago such as creating a kitchen garden to grow its own fruits and vegetables which are sold in the shop and used in lunch dishes.
Gelato Village
Gelato Village owners, Daniele and Antonio are natives of the Piedmont area of Italy, birthplace of the Slow Food Movement.
They never use artificial preservatives, flavourings or emulsifiers and use local ingredients to ensure that no product is sold that is over 72 hours old.
Eco Village UK
Eco Village UK in Market Harborough has several high-quality, sustainable food and drink producers and support independent ethical businesses selling a wide range of products, stocking locally produced food and drink, and providing a Community Fridge that lets people donate sealed in-date food that would otherwise be going to waste.
John's House in Mountsorrel
John's House in Mountsorrel, the county's only Michelin starred restaurant, champions a 'farm to plate' philosophy, sourcing high quality, seasonal produce from the family farm and sourced from around the region.
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