Pioneering palates

Why did you decide to serve a local and seasonal menu?

With our commitment to sustainability, it was a challenge we wanted to achieve, to see if it was possible to source above 90 per cent of the food and drink within our county, we achieved 96 per cent.

It was a fun exercise and satisfying for the team who worked on the event.

So you’ve got this brilliant idea, but how do you source the right partners?

As this was the third year we had run DRPG BigTalk, we already had a catering partner whose head chef - Graham Brookes. Graham already sources ingredients locally and grows some of his own produce, so he was enthusiastic about the idea.

How can other event planners source chefs who are enthusiastic about local, seasonal menus?

Firstly, speak to the venue or the caterer to assess if the local area could support the challenge, they should have the best insight to help.

Then decide on how far you would travel to source the ingredients. Draw a circle with the venue in the middle, research which providers you’d like to use, and keep it fun by looking at how the suppliers and ingredients will become part of the storytelling experience.

When they find the right catering partner, what questions should event planners be asking?

The key is analysing the supply chain and understanding that ‘local’ really must mean local.

This means looking for short chains of supply and how produce or ingredients are stored or the conditions in which they are grown. It’s no good sourcing local tomatoes when they have been grown in greenhouses heated by oil.

Consider what the story is behind the produce and think about the images you can gather to make an engaging dining experience.

Allow plenty of time to research and plan, as it will take longer to create the menu but with a greater reward.

Was the DRPG BigTalk menu more expensive than a menu with an increased carbon footprint?

Yes, unfortunately. In many cases, we sourced from smaller suppliers such as farm shops and smaller businesses aren't always geared up for volume, therefore costs can be higher, although not all the time.

Some produce can be lower in cost if sourced straight from the growers.

Drinks are particularly more expensive; a bottle of English wine can be three times the cost of a bottle of New Zealand, so we also must consider the ‘three Ps: People, Planet, Profit.’ Hence, we look at everything in a balanced approach using the 3 Ps policy and our decision tree as our guide.

It comes down to how committed you are to your sustainability objectives, and what type of experience you want to provide your guests.

Did you measure the carbon footprint of the menu?

To a degree, but not just in transport miles.

Take the potatoes, for example. We may have driven just a couple of miles to go and dig them for the meal, so they were a very low-carbon menu item. But we also considered where the potato seeds came from, how the potato fields were prepared for planting, and what pesticides were used.

Looking at the English wine, it may have been produced within a few miles of the venue, but the glass bottles could have been made in China.

You have to decide how far you want to go and how much detail to go into.

Ask yourself ‘To what end do we want to measure this menu?’

So, what was on the menu then?

Starter: Locally sourced chicken with locally grown apricots, used in a terrine with homemade chutney and micro herbs.

Main: Locally reared roast sirloin of beef, locally grown potatoes for the gratin and red wine jus.

Main: Locally grown broccoli and Worcestershire-produced blue cheese tart.

Dessert: DRPG HQ-grown apple and blackberry crumble tart, homemade chocolate brownie, homemade crème brûlée and local cheese and biscuits.

To drink: Homemade damson gin and Worcestershire wine from Astley and Three Choirs Vineyards. Beers were sourced from Bewdley Brewery.