The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness is now firmly upon us and while we may lament the end of summer, now is the time to embrace nature’s bounty with the Harvest Festival falling on Sunday the 6th of October 2024. And what better way to celebrate this rich harvest by exploring new ways to eat sustainably?
Autumn is a time of abundance, as the harvest brings an array of vibrant and robust vegetables to the table. At Whatley Manor, our chefs work closely with local farmers and purveyors to ensure that only the freshest, highest-quality produce makes its way into the kitchen.
In the kitchen garden we currently have a variety of colourful seasonal vegetables including squash, beetroot, sweetcorn, kale, and apples in the orchard along with the remaining herbs.
These, along with other autumnal root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, and celeriac, dark leafy greens and mushrooms, form the heart of our autumnal dishes which will hopefully inspire our diners to explore seasonal vegetables and consider eating sustainably. Rich in flavour and nutrients, Autumns vegetable harvest is perfect for creating the warm, comforting meals that help us to truly embrace the start of the cosy season.
Among the dishes featuring on our menus currently we have: Butternut squash with a seed emulsion and Scottish Girolles served with truffle and preserved wild garlic.
One of the hallmarks of Whatley Manor’s approach is our commitment to sustainability. By working with local growers and harvesting our own crops, the culinary team reduces food miles, supports local biodiversity, while offering diners the freshest, most flavorsome ingredients and the opportunity to eat sustainably.
Another key part of sustainability is reducing food waste. Here at Whatley, we bake bread daily. When this isn’t used, our Executive Chef Ricki Weston, has an inventive way of dealing with the leftovers, by dehydrating the bread and making it into a cracker. This is then served with one of the dishes currently on our Dining Room menu, such as a mushroom ragu or potato and chestnut with potato skin crumbs served as part of the Kitchen Experience on the Dining Room menu.
Sustainable cooking tips – how to eat sustainably
- Stocks can be made at home with vegetable trimmings and any meat bones. Roast them all off to extract the flavour.
- Consider more plant proteins; Lentils, beans, tofu, quinoa, and chickpeas are excellent sources of protein with a much smaller environmental footprint compared to meat.
- Support your local farmers. If you do include meat in your meals, buying locally reduces the carbon footprint associated with transportation and supports sustainable farming practices in your area.
- Composting food scraps keeps organic waste out of landfills and turns it into nutrient-rich soil.
- Meal plan your week in order to utilise your ingredients and therefore reduce waste and familiarise yourself with what vegetables are in season to reduce the air miles of crops.
- All the ends of the bread can be used in a bread-and-butter pudding; an old-fashioned staple that never fails to please. Alternatively, stale bread can be whizzed up in a food processor and repurposed as breadcrumbs for homemade arancini, schnitzel or fish goujons.
- Highly processed foods such as ready meals often require more energy and resources to produce and package. Cooking at home from scratch reduces packaging waste and allows you to control ingredients.
- Look for products from farms practicing regenerative agriculture, which focuses on restoring soil health and biodiversity.
- Reducing portion sizes can help prevent overeating and reduce food waste.
- Pick up a seasonal almanac that can help you plan when to plant and harvest your own fruit, vegetables and herbs.
Kitchen Counter Experience
To learn more about how to eat sustainably, seasonal vegetables and cooking, why not join us for an immersive dining experience on 9th October.
This is a chance to watch and engage with our chefs as they create a memorable menu in front of you. Lead by our incredible Executive Chef Ricki Weston, this is experiential dining at it’s finest which includes;
- Two introductions followed by five course developmental menu
- Chef introduction and commentary
- Wine flight available at a supplement
There will also be the chance to sample the dishes while learning about the development process and the meticulous process of sourcing the very best seasonal autumn vegetables and ingredients.
We hope you can join us for what promises to be an inspiring culinary journey.
