The Brookwood Partnership awarded three stars by SRA

Specialist contract caterer, The Brookwood Partnership and Absolutely Catering have just become the first schools’ caterer to receive three stars from the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) - the ‘Michelin Stars of Sustainability’ according to The Sunday Times. 

Kate Martin, Managing Partner of The Brookwood Partnership said: “Providing in excess of 60,000 fresh meals each school day is no mean feat and we continually look at ways to reduce any negative effect our work has on the environment.  It is with great pride that we have been awarded this accreditation and in being the first schools’ caterer.  I am continually proud of the lengths our teams go to each day in order to help protect the environment and give something back to others”.

Assessing the company’s sustainable and social activities, the SRA gave a total score of 70%, having scored 100% in healthy eating, 99% in community involvement and 90% in waste management.  Marked across three pillars of sustainability, the caterer reached 97% in Society, 67% in Environment and 57% in Sourcing.

Mark Linehan, Managing Director of the SRA, said: “Enabling schoolchildren to eat healthy, well sourced food sets a standard which we believe will set them up for the rest of their lives, as healthy adults equipped to make responsible decisions about what and where they eat. So we applaud The Brookwood Partnership for setting an example for all school caterers and look forward to working with them to build on this very impressive start.”

Areas that helped achieve the top level rating included the caterer’s commitment to reducing plate waste. In recent years, their ‘Wasteless’ initiative has helped to reduce plate waste by 47%. A focus on using local suppliers for specific produce helped them score well in the sourcing category. Kent based sites use a local farm for vegetables. A pork farm in Stamford is used for the supply of pork. Garden leaves are purchased from a farm in Surrey. Local dairies are used throughout the business for the supply of milk and cheese and all meat bought is British with the exception of New Zealand Lamb.

With a history of giving back, employees from across the business have raised in excess of £120,000 for charity, which supported the score of 97% in the category of Society.  Fundraising has helped; build a school in one of Africa’s poorest communities, support unemployed and disadvantaged people find a job, and sponsor several breakfast clubs across the UK.

Operating in 158 sites across the UK, the caterer produces in excess of 60,000 fresh meals each school day. The SRA is the leading authority on sustainability across the hospitality and food service sector, providing expert advice to restaurants, pubs, hotels, cafés, universities and caterers.

By Tom Evans