A Lake District bistro has launched a carbon calculated menu so guests can make informed choices about the meals they choose.
The Yan, at Grasmere, has created the Mindful Menu, which details the carbon footprint of every dish.
It has worked closely with Eco-I North West – a low carbon innovation research and development project – and the University of Cumbria, to ensure the calculations were accurate.
As well as the carbon footprint of a dish, The Yan’s executive chef Will Manley and his team also consider everything, from the values of the produce supplier, to an ingredient’s waste bi-products, when putting together their menus.
The Yan uses local producers and suppliers – all its meat comes from within Cumbria – and its menus are always seasonal, keeping food miles to a minimum.
The Yan now also grows and generates as much of its own produce as possible – it has ducks and chickens for eggs, grows its own fruit and veg (gooseberries, strawberries, pears, beetroot), keeps its own beehives and grows wildflowers on unusable land.
Other endeavours towards authentic sustainability at The Yan include a 100kwh biomass boiler which provides the heating and hot water for the whole farm via a district heating system, a renewable electricity system which is 100 per cent powered by hydroelectricity and new staff accommodation units which are completely solar powered.
Jess Manley, operations director of The Yan, said: “We initially started out with the aim of becoming carbon neutral but we realized that by just offsetting we could quickly become ‘carbon neutral’ but that wasn’t necessarily genuinely sustainable.
“So while we would like to end up completely carbon neutral, we want to do it in an authentic way and make sure our business as a whole is run in a way that is as sustainable as it can possibly be. It’s a slower process, but it will be worth it in the long run. Our Mindful Menu is just a small part of that work, but one that we’re very proud of.”
