The Falcon Inn

The Falcon Inn - Fotheringhay

The Falcon Inn is situated in the picturesque and historic village of Fotheringhay near Peterborough

Sustainability and environmental impact have always been at the forefront of the journey at The Falcon Inn, influencing every business decision that the pub makes, whether that be menu creation or sourcing electricity.

Zak Perrin, licensee at The Falcon Inn has been instrumental in bringing about sustainable changes at the venue and setting them on their green journey.

Timers and sensors on lighting and equipment ensure that The Falcon Inn minimise wasted energy where possible, while their monitoring technology also means they are actively aware of how much energy the pub’s equipment and appliances are expending at any certain period. The pub’s current energy plan is 48% renewable and 8% nuclear, demonstrating their sustainable efforts.

Although The Falcon Inn has seen many changes on the sustainability front, Zak labels tighter controls towards energy consumption and food usage as their most important:

“Our energy usage is now monitored through the Zellar platform and our food usage now follows a hierarchy system: reduce, reuse, recover, disposal. We reduce waste by following tighter ordering, reuse waste and trim on secondary elements or other dishes, recover the energy by composting to feed our allotment, and at the end if there is anything left, then it will be disposed of (ie. expended chicken bones after making stock).”

Staff at The Falcon Inn are provided with a ‘key mission and core values card’ which are referred to in every meeting. Sustainability being a key element of the pub’s operations mean that decisions are always undertaken with this in mind.

With The Falcon Inn being located where it is in Northamptonshire, the venue has access to some of the most exquisite food and drink produce available in the UK. Zak proudly supports local farmers, purveyors, and producers to support the local economy and ecosystem, while also reducing their food miles and therefore carbon footprint.

The local community is something that Zak is extremely proud of and he is keen to lead by example on a sustainable future:

“We live in a community steeped in history. Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded here, and Richard the third was born here. The Falcon Inn should serve as a flagship for sustainable dining and sustainable practices. Being a public house where members of every trade visit, we can hopefully influence a vast range of people to make better choices.”

We are extremely pleased to add The Falcon Inn to our ever-growing list of Sustainability Champions.

You can view The Falcon Inn website here.

The New Bowling Green - Warwick

The New Bowling Green is a historic, Grade II listed, 15th century family run pub in Warwick with a great beer garden and renowned for its tasty homemade food.

Adam Dudley and Jess Hobbs head up operations at The New Bowling Green, with the pair being the two key players in moving the pub towards a more sustainable future.

A key change made by Adam and Jess has been cutting out the single-use plastics in line with the new laws that came into place in 2023. This previously provided a huge amount of the pub’s waste, and the change in operations has seen a massive reduction.

Furthermore, energy saving and smart monitoring technology has been implemented all across the pub, with LED light bulbs replacing the incandescent and smart thermostats making everyone aware of what is being expended on a day-to-day basis.

Sustainable procurement has also brought success for The New Bowling Green. Some of the fruit, vegetables and herbs used on the menu at the pub are sourced from the Head Chef’s allotment, along with some from the pub’s own garden. The garden is designed in a way that promotes sustainable growing and attracts wildlife, with The New Bowling Green officially recognised as Warwick’s first ‘Bee Friendly Pub’.

Waste reduction is another element of the sustainability journey that has been instrumental in moving the pub towards a greener future. With various recycling programmes in place, food waste has also been heavily reduced. All vegetable peelings and anything possible is used for stocks and sauces, while anything that can’t be used is composted.

When quizzed on the importance of a sustainable future in the local community, Jess is keen to stress what it means to her;

“It’s hugely important - a pub is the heart of the community and leading on sustainability in the local community is essential for creating a healthier, more prosperous, and more beautiful future for everyone. Every individual and community have a role to play in driving positive change towards sustainability, no one more than the local pub."

We extremely pleased to add The New Bowling Green to our ever-growing list of Sustainability Champions. Congratulations to Adam, Jess and the whole team.

You can view The New Bowling Green’s website here.

The Dove and Rainbow - Sheffield

The Dove and Rainbow is a modern, glass-fronted music bar located in Sheffield City Centre. Hosting live rock, metal, punk bands, as well as DJs, this wet-led venue is a local favourite for those who love their music and real ales.

With The Dove and Rainbow being a wet city centre pub without outside space, licensee Dawn Gunther has had to be innovative when it comes to introducing sustainable operations to the venue, as reducing food waste, and increasing kitchen efficiency are not possible due to their wet-led stock.

Dawn says that the main thing she has done to improve sustainability at her pub is engage with her pub company, Punch, on any sustainability issues. With Dawn on a five-year tenancy with Punch and the company not owning the building where the venue is situated, collaboration between the two parties has helped bring about success.

At the Dove and Rainbow, all cellar equipment and fridges are on timers and there are notes on every door to turn off lights when a room is not in use. The pub also has a new, more energy efficient boiler and cellar cooler, while Dawn hassaid that she is will be a ‘Guinea Pig’ for any new cellar technology that may become available in the future.

Dawn can be credited as the driving force behind the sustainable change at the pub, with all staff now fully engaged in the energy reduction and recycling actions. All of the team also generally use public transport or walk to work, meaning that the pub’s passive carbon footprint is reduced further with this.

Punch’s ‘Pub Heroes’ initiative actively invite members, such as Dawn, to have their input and feedback from a small group of operators on all issues of sustainability. Dawn has been labelled one of the ‘go to’ publicans for sustainable operating.

We are delighted to recognise The Dove and Rainbow with Sustainability Champion status.

You can view The Dove and Rainbow’s website here.

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