Hambleton Hall

• WHO: Tim & Stefa Hart, owners & Aaron Patterson, executive chef
• WHAT: One of Britain’s finest country house hotels with the longest-retained Michelin star in the UK
• WHERE: Hambleton, Oakham, UK

“Only two and a half hours north of central London, Hambleton Hall with its spectacular lakeside setting, was established in 1980 and is one of Britain’s finest country house hotels. Executive Chef Aaron Patterson has held his Michelin-star since 1982 – holder of the longest-retained single Michelin star in the UK, the restaurant also has four AA Rosettes and a loyal following of happy customers.

“As a game specialist, Aaron features dishes year-round such as grouse with blackberry sauce and traditional accompaniments, roast mallard with corn and a little pie of its own leg meat, roast pheasant with Jerusalem artichoke and truffle, and Hare Wellington with root vegetables and a prune and Armagnac sauce. Hambleton Hall is really fortunate being based in Rutland as the area is bursting with incredible suppliers, farmers, artisans, foragers and more.

“Sustainability is really important to the whole hotel team. We never buy endangered species of fish and give great thought and attention to finding out where our produce is coming from, how it is reared and how it is killed. Aaron does this by going to visit every single one of their suppliers before buying from them."

Treat yourself to one of Hambleton Hall’s special offers. Click here to select one of their luxury getaways or book a special celebration dinner – and don't miss Aaron's delicious recipe for Hare Wellington inlcuded this week.

To read more about Hambleton Hall, visit their Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery profile here.

Wickens at the Royal Mail

• WHO: Robin Wickens, executive chef
• WHAT: Destination regional fine dining with sweeping Grampians views
• WHERE: 98 Parker Street, Dunkeld, Victoria, Australia

“Wickens at the Royal Mail Hotel is passionate about organic, locally-grown food and celebrating our beautiful location.

“Our kitchen's composting program returns food scraps to the kitchen garden team, including crumbled egg shells and coffee grounds sprinkled around base of plants to act as a physical barrier to crawling pests. The garden team then continues the composting process and eventually uses this matter to return nutrients back to the soil in which the food is grown. Additionally, gardens surrounding the restaurant are planted with drought-resistant native species thereby reducing the need for watering. It is a complete cycle that contributes greatly to the quality of produce and the environment.

“The Royal Mail Hotel beef and lamb is born and bred for use specifically in Wickens at the Royal Mail Hotel. The meat is butchered by the kitchen team, utilizing every part of the animal and reducing food waste.”

To read more about Wickens at the Royal Mail, visit their Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery profile here.

Wickens at the Royal Mail Hotel (Dunkeld, Victoria, Australia)

Orphans Kitchen

• WHO: Tom Hishon, chef/co-owner & Josh Helm, co-owner
• WHAT: Unadulterated food & naughty wine, since 2013
• WHERE: Grey Lynn, Auckland, New Zealand

“At the beginning of each week we head down to the local community farm, Kelmarna Gardens in Ponsonby. It is here that we get our leafy greens, herbs and other heritage fruits and vegetables for the menu. Kelmarna Gardens is not-for-profit and relies solely on volunteers from the community to keep it open to the public. We have also built up a directory of small organic growers close to Auckland that we receive weekly deliveries from. These relationships are the most important to us as the farming landscape here tends to think mono and massive. It has taken lots of time and dedication to find growers who are aligned with our own principles. We forage on Auckland's west coast for native seaweeds and plants. This is also where we draw inspiration for what goes on to the plate. Additionally, our honey comes direct from the roof of the restaurant, where we keep a few hives.

“New Zealand is surrounded by an amazing natural food resource being the ocean, however ironically, it can be hard to source great, sustainable seafood (hello export market). We proudly support Lee Fisheries whose main focus is on long-lining, small boats, low impact and outstanding quality.

“Recently, we opened a bakery called Daily Bread. We feel strongly about supporting New Zealand farmers who use organic, spray-free and biodynamic farming techniques. We source all of our wheat and rye from growers in the Canterbury Plains, which has an incredible climate for growing arable grains. All of Orphans' bread is supplied through our bakery.”

To read more about Orphans Kitchen, visit their Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery profile here.

Orphans Kitchen (Grey Lynn, Auckland, NZ)

Cecconi’s

• WHO: Olimpia & Maria Bortolotto & Anne Parolin, owners
• WHAT: Contemporary & classic Italian European in Melbourne
• WHERE: 61 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

“Cecconi’s is committed to the sustainability of our fisheries and to the industry within Australia, only using suppliers who reflect this ethos. Likewise, we actively source smaller producers of game meats who grow and butcher themselves. We also believe in using all aspects of a carcass – be-it meat or fish – so that our waste output is minimized.

“We liaise very closely with independent suppliers who supply locally-farmed organic produce such as goat and rabbit and we have specialist dry-ageing room where we complete the process with select cuts of beef from regions within Victoria. We source highly-seasonal produce to showcase a season’s culinary assets thereby allowing our kitchen team’s creativity to run wild.

“We have a commercial composter, and have had for quite some time. Any waste is broken down internally into an incredibly nutrient-rich fertilizer that is collected by City Harvest and recycled. We have adopted many recycling techniques, including a glass crusher and industrial bailer, therefore minimizing our carbon footprint through garbage disposal.”

To read more about Cecconi’s, visit their Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery profile here.

Cecconi's (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)

The Scarlet

• WHO: Michael Francis, head chef
• WHAT: Restaurant in the heart of the Scarlet Hotel
• WHERE: Tredragon Road, Mawgan Porth, Newquay, UK

“Sustainability is not just something that we feel is right, it has become a way of life. We strive to redefine what luxury can be, a richness of experience without over-consumption. We have been serving fresh, locally sourced food since 2009. Led by Head Chef Mike Francis, the team bring together modern European-style dishes with the gusto of Cornwall at its heart. We work with Cornwall’s innovative, organic and sustainable growers, farmers and fishermen to source the best produce the county has to offer – our menus change regularly and with the seasons.

“We buy local where possible – and when excellent. We serve a number of Cornish spirits and beers, our Coffee is roasted in Falmouth and our tea is grown on the Tregothnan estate in Cornwall. The fish we buy comes in fresh each morning and includes some wonderful small producers that provide us with sustainably-caught lobster and scallops. Our vegetable and dairy products come from small-scale producers no more than twenty-five miles away which means that our products change throughout the seasons to showcase this.”

News:

The Scarlet has recently been announced as one of The Independent’s ‘8 of the best Cornwall Spa Hotels’. Read more here.

Pamper yourself at The Scarlet Our special breaks combine the very best that the Scarlet and Cornwall has to offer: wonderful spa treatments, specially crafted seasonal menus and our favourite Scarlet experiences. Treat yourself and book your September spa break here.

To read more about The Scarlet, visit their Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery profile here.

The Scarlet (Mawgan Porth, Newquay, UK)

Laura

• WHO: John Gandel, owner & Phil Wood, culinary director
• WHAT: Refined & artful dining with a peninsula sense of place
• WHERE: 3649 Frankston-Flinders Road, Merricks, Victoria, Australia

“We love supporting local farmers and producers by calling them out on our menu and encouraging our guests to visit their farm gates. We have also expanded our kitchen garden programme and as part of that, we are excited about utilizing the Heronswood seedbank. Managed by a foundation with a focus on protecting heirloom seeds, Heronswood is a spectacular historic garden and property on the Mornington Peninsula. The Mornington Peninsula is a very community-driven region, which means there’s always something for us to get involved with, from a Winter Wine Weekend to a walk between wineries.

“Sourcing locally helps to reduce our food miles, and our team further helps this cause by collecting produce from farm gates on their way to work. We try to put everything to good use in the kitchen – for example, the charcoal remains from our wood-fired oven are used in a salt-crust duck dish at Laura. Restaurants have an important obligation to ensure health and safety standards are met but historically doing so has had a significant environmental impact. We are pleased to be working with Melbourne-based biotech firm eWater Systems, whose technology reduces our chemical and carbon footprints.

“We prioritize sustainable seafood and beef, changing our menu when particular species are not available. We take great pleasure in ordering ‘ugly’ fruit and vegetables from our local suppliers. We’re conscious of the bigger picture – much of the Mornington Peninsula’s indigenous flora is found within its beautiful National Park so we don’t like to be irresponsible and forage local foods where we shouldn’t.”

To read more about Laura, visit their Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery profile here.

Laura (Merricks, Victoria, Australia)

Kebaya Dining Room

• WHO: Chris Ong, owner & Zachary Choong, chef
• WHAT: Innovative Nyonya cuisine in a restored mansion
• WHERE: Stewart Lane, 10200, Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia

“Eighty per cent of the menu at Kebaya is made with local ingredients or by-products made by local artisans. We grow many of our herbs and spices in the vicinity of the property such as mint, butterfly pea, coriander and beetle nut leaves. We buy our vegetables, fruit and spices locally – within a one mile radius – supporting the local stores.

“George Town is a charming town at the brink of depopulation. It has become difficult for traders as the emptying of the city gathers pace. Because of this, we choose to celebrate all of the important Peranakan festivals, thereby maintaining and preserving the intangible heritage of George Town. The slow food movement has not caught on yet in Malaysia but it is getting there, however, micro-organic farms are slowly blooming and we are proud supporters of these farms.

“We also support a group of small boat fishermen who can continue their sustainable fishing methods without having to worry about unsold produce as we buy 100 per cent of their catch for the restaurant.”

To read more about Kebaya Dining Room, visit their Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery profile here.

Kebaya Dining Room (Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia)