Orwells at Shiplake shortlisted for sustainability award
February 17, 2015
Orwells in Shiplake, near Henley-on-Thames, has been shortlisted for an award by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA). The restaurant, part of the Brakspear estate, is run by chefs Ryan Simpson and Liam Trotman, and is the only finalist from Oxfordshire, selected from hundreds of eateries around the country. Winners are announced on 23 February.
The award shortlisting comes only months after Orwells achieved a 3-star rating – the highest possible from the SRA. Simpson said, “We were delighted when we were given our rating from the SRA, after many months of hard work proving our sustainable approach. To reach the finals of their awards is the icing on the cake.”
Orwells is shortlisted for the Sustainable Pub of the Year Award, and is up against two London pubs for the title. It was chosen on the basis of thorough audits by judges of all pubs and restaurants with an SRA rating, with the finalist places going to those who “made extraordinary accomplishments to drive forward their organisation’s sustainability”.
Simpson and Trotman took on the Brakspear pub in 2010 and sustainability was part of their vision from the start. Simpson says, “We wanted to make a positive impact on local suppliers and reduce our carbon footprint. We didn’t know everything about sustainability then, but we were committed so we found out what we needed, and we’re still learning.”
A sustainable ethos is evident at Orwells, in everything from their efforts to reduce waste to their support for local suppliers and the flourishing herb and vegetable plots at the pub. From May to September, an impressive 80% of produce served in the restaurant is grown in its small holding, with crops including broccoli, cauliflower, cavolo nero, radishes, rhubarb, raspberries, tomatoes and tomatillos – a cross between a tomato and a gooseberry.
Everything is grown from seed and the team are careful to avoid waste – for example, faced with a glut of tomatoes last summer, they preserved most of them for use in recipes year round. They also go foraging for hedgerow herbs and wild garlic in local woodlands.
Orwells’ latest venture last year was into bee-keeping, with an apiary at Shiplake. The honey is flavoured by nearby lime trees and chestnut trees and is added to dishes and used in a new cocktail at the restaurant – Mills Lane Bees Kiss.
On reducing waste, the team have become disciplined in sorting all waste by category. Simpson says, “We save £10 per bin, per week, on our waste disposal costs, and we’re reducing our carbon footprint at the same time.”
Simpson and Trotman will be among SRA members, press and others at the Oval Space in London when the SRA Award winners are announced on the 23rd. He said, “Winning an award would be incredible, not just for Orwells but also for Henley, which would be the only town in Oxfordshire to have an SRA award winner on its doorstep this year.”
Photographs show (top) Orwells and (bottom) Liam Trotman at the apiary