Tom Holmes of Visit Chester & Cheshire finds plenty to sustain him when he goes in search of the county’s eco credentials
Cheshire is known for its rural charm with sweeping green spaces, forestry, high peaks and serene waterways and it’s striking how the built environment interacts with our natural landscape.
Residents and businesses are increasingly conscious of our impact on the environment so this month we showcase what some of our favorite attractions, hotels and restaurants are doing to be more sustainable.
There are initiatives across the county, from sustainable supply chains and natural preservation efforts to plant-based restaurants and farm-to-table food, all with the end goal of helping to safeguard Cheshire – and the planet.
Visitor Attractions and Green Spaces
Chester Zoo’s monsoon forest, built to look and feel like the rainforest with 2,600 plants and hundreds of animals
– Credit: Chester Zoo
Chester Zoo
Preservation and conservation is at the heart of what our zoo does. It is committed to protecting natural environments and the species that inhabit them. In practice, this means initiatives such as the Act for Wildlife campaign, which raises funds for conservation projects to prevent extinction, and the zoo’s conservation and science program focusing on the latest science and research to protect the natural world through populations, places, people and policy. The zoo holds a gold in green tourism, reflecting its current and planned sustainable practices in renewable energy, supply chains and the use of ethical products.
Tatton Park
With 1,000 acres of parkland and historic gardens, it’s little wonder Tatton Park is committed to preserving the environment. As well as consistent efforts to maintain and preserve the parkland and green spaces on the estate, which saw Tatton receive a Green Flag award in 2020, the farm has been at the forefront of sustainable farming practices. Tatton has one of only 17 farm parks in the UK to have received Rare Breeds Accreditation, which recognizes commitment to the conservation, breeding and promotion of rare or endangered breeds of farm animals. The Field to Fork story explores historic farming practices that were, and at times still are, used on the farm, including keeping supply chains short and using sustainable feeds and waste management.
The Lovell telescope may be trained on the skies but the Jodrell Bank site is also firmly committed to sustaining life on Planet Earth
– Credit: Jodrell Bank
Jodrell Bank
In 2019 Jodrell Bank was recognized as a site of Outstanding Universal Value and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list for its work in advancing our understanding of the universe through historic discoveries, and as a world-leading science research institute. And although Jodrell Bank’s telescopes are fixed on the skies above, there is a commitment to preserving the Earth’s environment by ensuring work there is always responsible, ethical and sustainable. Jodrell Bank’s annual bluedot music, science and cosmic culture event is at the forefront of efforts to make festivals more sustainable. As well as music and entertainment, the festival has a real focus on science and environmentalism. Bluedot has a number of sustainable practices in place including a voluntary carbon balancing donation when buying tickets, banning single-use plastics in favor of compostable materials, free water refill stations, extensive recycling across the site, tent collections and an onsite food bank to encourage festival-goers not to leave their tents and food.
The Cheshire Peaks
The Cheshire Peaks are part of what was the first national park in the UK. Home to a rich diversity of natural and cultural heritage, the Cheshire Peaks are at risk from climate change. The Cheshire side of the Peaks is part of the wider preservation efforts of the Peak District National Park to reduce the impact of humans on the environment and protect the area’s natural beauty, biodiversity and visitors’ enjoyment of the park. There is a range of policies and actions by the authority to encourage Peak District National Park residents, visitors and businesses to help tackle climate change, including the Peak District environmental quality mark awarded to organizations supporting the local economy, protecting the global environment, enhancing the local environment, investing in people and communities and celebrating what’s special about the Peak District National Park.
Delamere Forest is adapting to climate change and the impact on its beautiful natural environment
– Credit: Paul Dulac
Delamere Forest
Delamere Forest is the largest wooded area in Cheshire and one of the most popular visitor destinations. Welcoming more than 700,000 visitors annually, the forest, under the stewardship of Forestry England, is adapting to climate change and its impact on this beautiful natural environment. This means ensuring tree felling is done sustainably, managing the mosses and meres, identifying, retaining and nurturing trees of special interest, restoring ancient woodland sites and diversifying the forest structure and tree species. The new visitors’ center opened in 2020 was built with sustainability at its heart with solar panels, a ground source heat pump, sustainable design and rainwater harvesting drainage incorporated and the luxury log cabin retreats provided by Forest Holidays were designed and operate with sustainability and natural preservation as core values.
accommodation
Carden Park
Preserving the 1,000-acre estate—and the planet—is one of Carden Park’s core values. As Green Tourism Award members, the luxury hotel and spa is continually striving towards environmental goals. Recycling is paramount, with all food waste processed in an anaerobic digester that transforms it into energy, and animal feed used by local farmers. To maintain the extensive golf course, water is recycled from the spa, filtered through a water treatment plant and used directly on the greens. There is LED lighting, and PV solar panels have been installed at the spa. Carden’s restaurants are stocked by local suppliers, keeping supply chains shorter and improving the quality of the food. Animals and plant life are protected and the estate has planted more than 30,000 trees to replace any that are cut down.
The walled garden at Inglewood Manor, Ellesmere Port, where sustainability is taken very seriously
– Credit: Inglewood Manor
Inglewood Manor
Ellesmere Port’s Inglewood Manor is a charming Edwardian manor house in serene, green surroundings. The site takes sustainability very seriously, earning a silver award for Green Tourism due to its sustainable practices, which include complying with or exceeding all environmental legislation, using sustainable suppliers, reducing pollution, emissions, and waste, reducing use of energy, water and other resources, raising awareness of environmental issues for visitors and staff and helping guests visit in a sustainable way.
Flat cap hotels
The Flat Cap Hotels family, which includes The Bridge at Prestbury, The Courthouse in Knutsford, and The Vicarage at Cranage, like to keep things local, with social and environmental responsibility a key principle. Food miles are reduced by using local suppliers, herbs are grown on location for the kitchens, cheese is sourced within 10 miles and chefs regularly visit with local farmers to decide their seasonal menus. Food waste is recycled separately to general waste, take-out packaging is biodegradable, all glass waste is recycled and cooking oil is removed by specialist suppliers and recycled into biodiesel. Flat Cap also takes care in its procurement by buying British, using Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance products and making sure meat, fish and poultry meet environmental and regulatory standards.
food & drinks
The Hollies Farm shops are champions of local produce
– Credit: Hollie’s Farm Shop
The Hollies Farm Shops
A staple of Cheshire’s foodie scene, the Hollies farm shops in Little Budworth and Lower Stretton are champions of fresh, locally procured produce. From fully traceable meats and locally made cheese to freshly baked bread and Cheshire brewed beers, the business uses a network of more than 70 local suppliers meaning the supply chains are shorter with a reduced carbon footprint. The Hollies also has a commitment to reducing its impact on the environment with initiatives such as encouraging car sharing, recycling, reducing food waste, and harvesting rainwater to water crops and plants.
hypha and koji
Found on Chester’s historic walls, hypha is looking toward the future and our place within it with a fully sustainable closed-loop system to create micro-seasonal, plant-based tasting menus. Every hero ingredient has been grown in Chester or its surrounding areas. Using these ingredients from local suppliers, growers and foragers, the hypha menu changes to match the environment and can change day-to-day. All of this is reflected in a Michelin Green Star, awarded to just 23 restaurants. hypha has its own fermentation lab and creative food workspace, which uses every stem and stalk to create menus that make the smallest impact on the environment. This extends to the drink offering too, with all wines meeting strict accreditation standards, using spirits from Empirical and coffee from carbon-neutral Blossom Coffee. hypha’s newest venture, koji is a wine and cocktail bar combining low intervention, natural wines, zero-waste cocktails, craft beer and fermented soft drinks.
scrub
Sitting on the corner of Eastgate and Northgate Street atop the medieval Rows, Shrub is known for its seasonal plant-based menu, signature cocktails and vegan bakes. Shrub has a commitment to reducing its own carbon footprint and being a part of reshaping the impact the hospitality industry has on the environment. Everyone who works with Shrub is carbon neutral. By the end of the year, Shrub plans to be entirely climate positive. The restaurant continues to look for ways to reduce its carbon footprint, from closed-loop dishes to zero-waste drinks and has also joined Chester Zoo’s sustainable palm oil initiative.
Double vegan burger from Congleton’s Wild & Wild with its entirely plant-based menu
– Credit: Wild & Wild
Wild & Wild
Multi-award winning café Wild & Wild in Congleton has a simple ethos: to provide delicious food and drink with a focus on wellbeing and health. The entirely plant-based menu is made by hand, in-house. With this ethos, Wild & Wild is actively working towards reducing its environmental impact. For instance, it partnered with KeepCup to provide compostable reusable coffee cups and offer a 10 per cent off hot drinks for using a reusable cup. Wild & Wild uses compostable plant-based materials for all takeaway containers and recycles all coffee bags. And for online purchases, Wild & Wild guarantees to plant a tree with partners One Tree Planted.
Information on these eco-friendly businesses, and more, can all be found at visitcheshire.com