STORIES
Sustainable, ethical, local and seasonal practices sit at the heart of everything we do at The Woodcote. And we can’t do it alone. We nurture and rely on the support of like-minded individuals, businesses and organisations. Here are their stories.
We are proud to be supporting the trust, as we believe their mission is very important, and it also aligns perfectly with our vision for better, healthier food and practices.
SUSTAINABLE FOOD TRUST
The key to change
Founded by Patrick Holden in 2011, The Sustainable Food Trust (SFT) was primarily established to address worsening food and farming systems, and to accelerate the transition to more sustainable practices, that nourish the health of people and planet. The trust works across a broad range of initiatives. These include new models and systems that deliver on climate, nature and health and a global framework to measure sustainability practices.
At The Woodcote, we are proud to be supporting the trust, as we believe their mission is very important, and it also aligns perfectly with our vision for better, healthier food and practices. Everything we do is viewed through the sustainability lens – consciously reducing food miles by using local suppliers and developing our own kitchen garden (metres from our kitchen), replacing unhealthily farmed salmon with fresh trout from down the road, and continuing to add to our Sussex wine list.
We are enthusiastic champions of local venison, which features regularly on our menu, and we work closely with the local deer manager, who, in turn, works with Natural England and the South Downs National Park, to ensure the stability of our local herds and their environments. The more we work together, the more we can achieve.
Much of our fresh produce comes from Chef’s Farms, who believe in the power of good farming practices, and supply us with local, seasonal and ethically grown produce. From composting, to managing our own beehives and even religiously turning lights off, we are doing our best to do our bit for the planet, adding to our rosta of sustainable activity all the time and learning as we do so.
And, this is just the beginning, as we intend to do much more – as a business and also in partnership with the SFT. As we learn more, as we adopt more sustainable initiatives, we will be able to start sharing our knowledge and experience with our guests and others interested in pursuing similar practices. Watch this space.
LOCAL VENISON
Delicious, versatile and healthy
One of the cornerstones of our food philosophy at The Woodcote is venison. Underappreciated (in our opinion), we are on a quiet mission to see more of our guests enjoying this delicious, versatile and healthy meat. With a year-round supply from local woodland, it regularly features on our menus, whether as part of a delicate starter or as a main dish.
Deer manager, Peter, looks after nearby herds and supplies The Woodcote’s venison. “In the winter months, from September to March, it’s fallow deer and from April to October, it’s roe deer, which has a more delicate flavour and is better suited to summer’s lighter dishes,” he says.
“It’s fantastic that The Woodcote champions venison and has it on the menu throughout the year,” he says. “We need restaurants to use the meat – they’re an essential link in our supply and sustainability chain, as managing numbers is essential for herd health, as well as the biodiversity of the land.
There are no natural predators and there’s only a certain amount of food for them to eat, so if there are too many deer, they start to go hungry. Also, with fewer deer there is less browsing, less trampling and more chance for woodland saplings to survive.”
It’s a fine balance and Peter works closely with Natural England, whose role is to protect England’s nature and landscapes, and the South Downs National Park, to ensure the stability of the local herds and their environments.
In the kitchen, our chefs create dishes that use as much of the animal as possible – it’s not unusual for a Woodcote venison dish to include loin, shoulder and leg, as well as a venison pasty.
Making the most of every cut, with as little waste as possible, is all part of the land to table principles we are pursuing at The Woodcote.
As the fish are hand-reared using traditional methods, with no automated equipment, they are exceptionally high quality.
DUNCTON MILL
Fresh, light and full of flavour
Just five minutes down the road from The Woodcote, Duncton Mill Trout Farm supplies us with the fresh rainbow trout that regularly features on our menu. The clear, spring-fed waters of the fishery’s four lakes ensure outstanding flavour. And, as the fish are hand-reared using traditional methods, with no automated equipment, they are exceptionally high quality.
Dan Young took over the farm in 2020 and he has gradually been rebuilding and developing the business since then. His ethos is quality over quantity and this is reflected in the calibre and flavour of the fish he supplies to The Woodcote.
Trout is a versatile fish when it comes to pairing with other flavours. From powerful beetroot to delicate cucumber, it holds its own and more. The dishes on the sharing board for our Sunday Woodcote Roast may well include a cured Duncton Mill tartlet with yuzu dressing. On the Seasonal Menu it is served with lemon balm oil, cucumber and oyster tempura.
CHEF’S FARMS
From plant to plate within 24 hours
Established by Tom Denman in 2017, Chef’s Farms supplies The Woodcote with local, sustainable and extremely fresh fruit and vegetables. Based in Storrington, just a few miles from us, Chef’s Farms is supplied by over 100 producers, many of them in Sussex, and they ensure deliveries within 24 hours of produce being picked.
Tom is from a farming family and also trained and worked as a chef. Sourcing good local and seasonal produce was always tricky and finding the right suppliers was very time-consuming. “We deal with all of that for our customers,” says Tom. “We build strong relationships with everyone, from the farmers and growers, to the chefs and businesses we supply, ensuring a transparent chain of high quality and ethically grown produce. We believe in the power of good farming practices to ensure better quality food and we’re experts in healthy field to fork practices.”
For the team at The Woodcote, Chef’s Farms supports us in ensuring the fruit and vegetables we use are local, fresh and seasonal. It would be incredibly time-consuming for us to visit every supplier, as well as vet the quality of their produce, so having Tom and his team do that work for us, is very important, and reassuring for our chefs and customers alike.
