The Cherry Tree Inn is a beautiful pub located in Stoke Row, in the heart of the South Oxfordshire countryside in the Chiltern Hills.
Daniel Redfern, licensee at The Cherry Tree Inn, has made several changes to the venue to make it more sustainable.
To begin with, on the energy saving front, Daniel has replaced all incandescent bulbs with LEDs and has a remote optimiser fitted in the cellar, which dramatically reduces cooler energy and heat production remotely and prevents the unit producing heat when not in use.
The Cherry Tree Inn have also introduced an energy plan to the kitchen, which consists of a checklist of when all kitchen equipment needs to go on/off to avoid any energy waste from kitchen operations. Fridge and freezer temperatures are also checked regularly to ensure they are not set too cold wasting energy.
When it comes to the garden, a vast number of vegetables, herbs and fruit that are used in the pub’s dishes are grown on-site. Daniel has also introduced two colonies of bee hives, meaning that they also have their own honey!
Furthermore, The Cherry Tree Inn have an enormous compost heap, which is turned monthly, with all non-protein food waste and coffee grounds going to the heap. This in turn creates compost, so the cycle continues. Plastic free cardboard, egg trays and old paper menus are also composted to balance the green with brown recycling material.
This countryside favourite further ensures their sustainable efforts by sourcing food locally. Their furthest supplier is located just 17 miles away, with an impressive six of their other suppliers located within a two-mile radius of the pub. This ensures that their food mileage is as low as it can be, reducing their carbon footprint massively.
The innovation doesn’t stop there, with Daniel keen to stress the importance of sustainability to his staff. Staff are taken on trips to local producers to enable them to understand where the food comes from and how it’s made, while they are also given ongoing training on energy reduction, reduction in food waste, how to use produce from the garden, strict portion control, waste control and mixed recycling procedures.
We are delighted to award Daniel and the team at The Cherry Tree Inn with BII Sustainability Champion Status.
You can view The Cherry Tree Inn website here.